Fighting the Fate
by FragrantRose
Summary: The brawlers have to face off against a test of fate and only those who are strong and brave enough would be able to pull through. Will this change of fate have an impact on their bonds of friendship? Most importantly,will a raven haired,topaz eyed teen fight for his life or simply surrender? It's a war to be fought with determination...
1. Hidden secrets

_**Hey,after a horrible writer's block,I'm back! I wont say much except read and enjoy and REVIEW! **_

_**P.S: KktheNeko owns the credit of this fic coz she had motivated me to write it and had given awesome ideas for it! :)**_

_**This story has the same background as "Winds cry when bonds break". If any of my readers haven't read it,I'll give the info here as well:**_

_****__A little background that,this story takes place in __**Bakugan Mechtanium Surge Arc Two,**__but the characters go my way coz it's my story,my rule! All my characters live in a huge building which acts as the brawlers' headquarter. This building has every facility for everyone like technology labs,bedrooms,medical wing,empty,spacious rooms and others. _

___**In my story,Dan,Shun,Marucho,Keith and Mira live in the above mentioned place but others are busy where ever they are,however they all stay in contact. Dan knows basic medical ways as well as Keith. Marucho is usual nerd and Mira is almost same as she is in arc two of season three,but she knows less about technology and Keith is also good in technology and machines and other stuff. He usually discuss his plans with Shun. Shun is a very strong ninja,silent and handsome as in arc two. He is Dan's best friend but have very good terms of friendship with Keith. He is also very skilled in technology and mechanical field. He daily goes for training early in the morning and usually returns after the sunset. Mira cooks food and the rest is same. The villain is Wiseman.**_

___**Here are characters and their bakugan,as I think they are in this fic:**_

___**Dan:Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid(evolved of course.).**_

___**Shun:Ventus Storm Skyress,Ventus Master Ingram,Ventus Shadow Wing(Ingram's ability bakugan),darkus skutress and orbium(Ingram's students,used occasionaly,he doesn't own them).**_

___**Marucho:Aquos Minx Elfin,Aquos Akwimos,Aquos Preyas.**_

___**Keith:Darkus Alpha Hydranoid,Darkus Infinity Helios.**_

___**Mira:Subterra Mgma Wilda.**_

___**Wiseman: Darkus Cordegon,Ventus Worton,Pyrus Spatterix,Haos Tremblar,aquos Balista,Pyrus Slycerak,Haos Exostriker,Aquos Mandibor.**_

**__****Disclaimer: ****____****I don't own bakugan or any of their characters. Just the plot and theme of my story. If you think that I own it then...go away and leave...humph!**

___**Now that's better,now move on,scroll down and read!**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 1: Hidden Secrets.**_

_The brawler's place was a mess because there was no one to keep it tidy and in place. Why there was no one to do so?  
"A...A...AACHHOOO!" _

_A short blond haired boy was sneezing with every thing he had got,making his blue colored bakugans fly back with the power of an ACHOO! He sighed and pulled out his one hundred and thirty third tissue out of the box to use for his unseasonal cold._

_An orange haired girl stepped through the door in his room and came near his bed, "Morning Marucho,you feeling better?"_

_The blond looked above the tissue paper he was holding, "I feel like my nose would drop off my face any time Mira!" His voice was hoarse._

_Mira formed an "Oh" and began to set up the side table and clean the room,talking to Marucho. _

_"Hey Mira,where are the others?" Marucho suddenly asked._

_Mira lifted up a cushion to put it back in place, "Well,Dan has gone somewhere with Shun and Keith is probably in the lab."_

_"Gone? But where?"_

_"I don't know exactly but he was jumping and saying something along the lines of 'I'm going to be a super awesome ninja'!' and Shun was simply staring." The girl explained._

_"I wonder what are they both up to now." Marucho stifled a sneeze._

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_Dan and Shun had reached the place where Shun used to train everyday. Shun was leading the way while Dan was constantly talking. _

_"So Shun,what am I gonna learn today,huh? Kicks,punches,high jumps,ninja flashes,weapons..."_

_Shun cut him off, "You're going to learn to meditate today Dan."_

_Dan's face fell, "But Shun..." He whined._

_"No,we have already discussed it before. You asked me to teach you some moves and I accepted your request. You have to listen to whatever I say and you must obey."_

_Dan sighed, "Alright...fine,but that's not fair."_

_"Do you want to go back Dan?" Shun looked at him sternly._

_"N...no,of course not."_

_"Then do as I say. In this place,I'm not your best friend,I'm your trainer here." Shun turned to walk again._

_Dan grumbled before following his best friend...no...his trainer...his young but intelligent trainer. _

_They reached the deepest part of the woods where was a clear stream of river water located. Here they found a suitable high boulder to sit on beside the running flow of water._

_Shun sat up on the rock,cross-legged and instructed Dan to do so. The brunette obeyed and sat beside the raven haired teen whose topaz eyes were piercing his soul._

_"Now," Shun began to explain, "Close your eyes,no peeking around,and try to find your center. Try to block out all your thoughts to clear your mind. You can also try counting up to ten to stay calm. Once your mind is void,try to listen around without opening your eyes. Listen to the voices of nature and feel the wind." _

_**(A/N: I meditate myself so I've written this part!)**_

_"Well,that sounds easy." Dan remarked before closing his eyes after the comment. But it was harder than he had imagined. His thoughts began to fly over to him randomly,filling his head. Thoughts of all kinds,of past,present and future. Feeling a little nervous,the Pyrus brawler tried to count his breathes slowly. Gradually,his mind began to be empty,his thoughts hiding away in the dark corners. He felt...calm and relaxed. _

_Next part was to listen. Dan tried to listen around,he could hear the flow of running water,chirping of birds,light whistles of wind,brushing of leaves,and...a hiss...? No...a pain-filled shudder._

_Dan's eyes snapped open at the pained voice. He turned his head besides at his best friend who had joined him in meditating. He was sweating and trembling and had a pained expression on his face. Topaz eyes were shut tight and he was gritting his teeth._

_Dan became confused,puzzled whether he should snap his friend out of it or not. He reached for his shoulder and tapped it gently, "Shun?"_

_Amber eyes opened suddenly followed by a frustrated voice, "Damn it,not again." _

_Dan placed a hand on the shoulder of the now panting teen, "Is everything alright buddy? You okay?"_

_"I...I'm fine. Never mind." Shun turned his head away._

_'____Why is this happening now? Every time I try to meditate,I get the same horrid vision,each time more worse than ever before.' __His thoughts were interrupted by Dan's voice, "Shun...may be we should go back buddy. You should rest."_

_"I said I'm fine." Shun suddenly snapped,not realizing that he was getting angry._

_"Oh...okay...no need to snap." Dan pulled back his hand._

_Shun stood, "Let's go."_

_Not having any other choice,Dan followed lead,concerned about the unnatural attitude of his usually calm and silent friend._

_They reached the building before it was getting dark. _

_Inside,Mira was in Marucho's room and Keith was sitting in the lounge out of boredom. Dan went to sit beside him while Shun went in the bedroom he and Dan shared. _

_Keith looked at Dan's face, "Something wrong Dan?"_

_"Huh...oh yeah. I was thinking."_

_"Don't make me laugh. You were actually thinking?! Well,wonders never seize!" Helios smirked._

_"Shut it Helios." The rest of the bakugans silenced him._

_"Well,what is it?" Keith asked again._

_In response,Dan told him all about the meditating event briefly. _

_"Some thing's wrong with Shun and as usual,he's hiding it." Keith finally broke the silence. _

_"I know,but no one can get it out of him,not even me or not even his bakugans." Dan exhaled deeply._

_"Hm..." Keith began to think. _

_In the bathroom attached to the bedroom,Shun was splashing his face with ice cold water. After a while,he stopped and looked above in the mirror. There,in his reflection,was an emotion,hovering. Topaz eyes were filled with...Fear._

___**Well,that's for now,I hope you like it. Please read and review. I'll try to update sooner than you'll think. See you all in the next chapter...**_

___**FrangrantRose signing out! :)**_


	2. Distance among the friends

_**Hi peeps,I'm back with goodies for you all! The goodies include chappie two of my latest fan fiction,so go on and here you go,have it! A very special thanks to my dearest reviewers for their suggestions,they made my day! :D**_

_**P.S:This chapter is dedicated to KKtheNeko for her motivation! :)**_

_**Read and enjoy!**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 2: Distance among the friends.**_

The next day,the brawlers went to Marucho's room only to find him surrounded by piles of tissue papers and his aqua bakugans going crazy here and there.

"Hey Marucho,how's it going?" Dan tried to sound cheery.

"Busted!" Came the hoarse reply.

"Wasn't the new medicine supposed to word effectively?" Keith asked.

"I guess so,but it seems to be useless." Marucho's eyes saddened.

"Hey,cheer up. We'll figure something out." Dan looked around, "Right?"

"Maybe,perhaps." Keith glanced at him.

"Right Shun?" Dan turned towards his best friend who seemed to be lost in thoughts.

"Hello...earth to Shun...you there buddy?" Dan waved his hand in front of the zoned out teen's face.

"Huh...what?" Shun blinked.

"I said,we'll find out about this weird illness spreading around. Right?" Dan repeated.

"I don't know."

"What...What do you mean you don't know? Shun,we have to do something about it."

Shun looked up,it took him a moment to understand the topic of their conversation. He glanced at all the occupants of the room before his eyes came to rest on the plain but very interesting wall in front of him.

Not getting any reply,Dan became impatient, "Well,come on...tell me. Are you trying to say that we should ignore it and do nothing about it?"

"I haven't said so." Shun whispered.

"Dan," Keith interrupted, "Leave him alone. Why are you being so angry?"

"I'm not being angry. I'm just saying that Shun had been hiding something. Fine,I didn't pushed him to tell me. But this...now Marucho's got a weird illness and all he says is 'I don't know.' I mean,come on,at least give us a positive response." Dan was more than frustrated.

"Dan,we tried finding about it in the labs but it was useless. We don't have a clue so how can Shun..." Keith tried to reason with the hot-headed brawler but in vain.

"Some times,we have to be realistic,Dan." Shun's voice was unexpectedly cool, "And this is one of those moments. I'm not day dreaming like you. Life is cruel..."

"No...you can't say that," Dan yelled, "If something bad happens to you,will you be saying the same? Answer me,will you still say that we should stay calm?"

"Yes." Shun stood his ground defiantly, "Even if I'm the one,I'll still be content in the thoughts that I'm not a burden on anyone." His voice had rose.

"Easier said than done." Dan spoke bitterly.

"I'm only saying that instead of going crazy over an issue,you should stay in your senses." Shun's temper was rising.

"Now,Shun,Dan,stop it. You don't want to fight over such a small..." Keith attempted but was cut off.

"It's not small." Dan shouted.

"But it's nothing to fuss over yet." Shun replied,his voice higher too.

"Guys..." Marucho tried to speak but the glares sent in his direction were enough to silence him.

"Fine,I'll see how much you can handle without a cure if you get sick as well." Dan looked at his best friend angrily.

Shun's fists clenched while the others' mouths were hung open at the bitter remark.

"Better than you'll expect." Shun answered before leaving.

After a couple of minutes,Dan stomped off too.

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That evening,no plans were discussed,no discussions arose,no ideas were exchanged with tea because there was no one to start a conversation. Dan had gone into his bedroom,Shun had locked himself in his meditating hall with his bakugans,refusing to open up,Marucho had slept and Keith went to the labs while Mira began the household work.

"Damn it...why can't I think straight? Why is he acting like that?" Dan was pacing in the room,measuring it's length and distance.

"Daniel..." Drago opened.

"No...why does he think that every thing is alright when it isn't? Why can't he for once in his life,agree with me?"

"Because he has his own points." Drago replied.

"Why? Why on earth does he acts as if nothing's wrong?" The pointless questions kept coming.

"Maybe he doesn't show his feelings. He stays under control." Drago tried to satisfy the fuming teen once more.

"It's just not fair." Dan fell on the bed, "I don't know what has gotten into me but whatever it is,it's not good."

"I know."

"I just feel angry about all this. I mean,why can't we do something about this disease? Why is it spreading and we're doing nothing to stop it. It's just not right." Dan told his psychiatric partner.

"I'm aware of that but being angry doesn't solve anything. It wont help you."

"But I'm still furious about Shun. He doesn't care for us. I don't think he wants to be a part of the brawlers,maybe he hates me as well."

After an hour or so,the brunette slept,trying to ignore the empty bed beside him.

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In the hall,supported by pillars,a figure sat in a dark corner,hugging his knees,his back pressed against the wall which was supporting his head...aching head. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing sharply,some what cautiously. Two small,green balls were present beside him. If any one looked in the silhouette's eyes,they would've seen numerous emotions lingering inside them,betraying his mind and spirit,anger,fear,anxiety,disbelief,hopelessness,h elplessness,tiredness,exhaustion,pain,sadness,depr ession... His heart was racing.

"Shun..." One of the balls opened.

"No." Came the shaky reply.

"Shun,listen to me,you have to tell them."

"I said,no."

"But..."

"I wont involve any of them in this situation." Shun hugged his knees tighter.

"But Shun,we've seen you twice doing..."

"Forget it." Shun spoke impatiently.

"What if..."

"Please...leave me alone." Shun stood up before falling back,using the wall for support, "I don't know what to do. I can't take it anymore."

"No Shun,you have to do something."

After listening to Ingram's and Shun's small conversation,Skyress finally spoke, "Shun,I know you hate it,but if you wont tell the others,then I will."

"What?" Shun saw the phoenix in utter disbelief, "No,you wouldn't do that."

"Yes,I will."

"Skyress,you don't understand..."

"My Shun...I understand perfectly well and I know what to do."

These were one of the moments when Shun lost his arguments to his maternal guardian phoenix.

"Skyress,please...give me some time. I don't want to cause worry among them just because of my condition."

"But you have to inform them. They're your friends." Skyress answered.

"Skyress...no..."

Having no idea,why he was doing this,Shun began to cry. All of a sudden,crystalline drops left trails from his topaz eyes. Skyress was taken aback by the sudden out burst.

"Oh Shun...My Shun...please don't cry like this. We'll do something about it." Skyress tried.

"No..." Shun's voice was heart broken,as he sobbed, "Just leave me alone."

Skyress and Ingram watched the emotionless teen who was all far too emotional than any one would thought. After some time the tears subsided and Shun lifted his head to look around. Moonlight was filtering through the arc shaped windows,shinning in the room. He closed his eyes for a restless sleep,his breathe hitching every now and then due to all the crying. Moonlight danced on his pale face softly before disappearing behind a cloud.

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The next morning held a thick atmosphere of silence in the building because of the distance among the brawlers. Dan was constantly grumbling,Keith was trying to act normal,Marucho was in his room and Shun...was silent. Keith had forced him to come out of his lock up,threatening to use force. Although Shun wasn't willing to go,Skyress had black mailed him into telling Keith all about his condition.

After the refreshment,they were about to go when Marucho came and announced to have a battle. They all agreed to participate and went. Marucho called Ren as well.

Skyress and Ingram tried to stop Shun but then,a thought struck the phoenix bakugan and she slowed down,gesturing Ingram to cover up for her. Ingram was rather suspicious but he decided to do as he was told.

"Huh? Skyress? Where are you go..."

"Be quiet Helios." The phoenix cut him off in a low voice.

Keith glanced in front of him only to find the ventus bakugan hitting his face as he stopped abruptly.

"Whoa...sorry Skyress...What are you doing here?" Keith apologized in a whisper.

"I need to talk to you."

"To me? What is it?" Keith was surprised.

"Slow down,I don't want Shun to know about this."

"Oh...okay."

Keith lowered his pace till he was left behind everyone.

"Well,what do you want to say?" Hydranoid asked.

Skyress made herself comfortable on Keith's shoulder,well hidden from the view and started whispering in the ear of the darkus brawler who nodded at first but then...his eyes widened and he stopped for a second before walking again.

"No way...But how?" He breathed out quietly.

After a couple of minutes he shook his head, "Damn it. Why didn't he say so before? Why didn't he tell us?"

The whispers continued and he finally nodded, "Alright,fine,got it. I'll keep an eye on him. Yeah,I'll stay close to him."

With this,Skyress thanked him silently before going back to her place with Shun. They reached their destination. There was no one to brawl as they looked around.

"Alright,let's see. It looks like we'll have to fix the basic rules here. How many are we?" Marucho stated, "One,two,three,four...oh five...Dan,Shun,Keith,Ren and of course...me! Now here are the rules guys..."

Once the rules were explained,they all prepared. According to the rules, Keith and Shun fought in one arena,Marucho and Ren brawled in second arena,then both winners brawled in third arena and then the final one went up with Dan. Every one took their positions.

Keith kept a close eye on Shun while fighting. He was watching him sharply. His glance met Shun's a couple of time and he realized that Skyress was right. Now he was concerned about the ventus brawler.

After a couple of minutes,Shun and Ren were brawling. There was nothing special in it as Shun defeated the darkus brawler easily and advanced to the next round.

Now was the final showdown. It was time for a serious battle. Dan Kuso versus Shun Kazami...

Dan remembered everything that had happened,making him more angry than ever on the Ventus brawler. Shun was simply taking deep breathes and clearing his mind to calm himself for the upcoming event.

And so...it begun.

"BAKUGAN BRAWL...PYRUS FUSION DRAGONOID,STAND." Dan had yelled.

"BAKUGAN BRAWL,VENTUS STORM SKYRESS,RISE." Shun had countered.

Keith was watching Shun cautiously,waiting for the prediction of Skyress to occur and happen. The time was drawing close. The darkus brawler stepped closer,nearing the Ventus brarwler unnoticed.

After exchanging their strongest attacks,their power began to wore off. Dan seemed normal but Shun...he was panting and sweating. This couldn't be called normal...not at all.

Suddenly,the raven haired teen caught Drago off guard and while the mighty dragon was down,Shun pulled out his last ability card. The victory was near. Keith was a few steps away from him.

All of a sudden,Shun's vision wavered and he stopped abruptly,feeling dizzy and nauseous ,a metallic taste forming in his mouth. He tried to breath deeply but to his terror,it kept hitching. Panicked,he choked and practically coughed in a desperate attempt to breathe. Darkness clouded his mind and the last thing he knew,he was falling into the abyss of nothingness...

_**Hm...I'm not sure if it's a cliff hanger or not. If it isn't then that's too bad and if it is then...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I enjoyed that! Next chapter might come sooner coz I'm free for four to five days next so stay tuned for it!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! :)**_

_**Until next time! See you all in the next chappie!**_


	3. A shocking truth

_**Hi people! Nothing much to say except read and enjoy AND REVIEW! **_

_**My heartiest gratitude towards my reviewers and followers and likers! You made my day! :D **_

_**P.S:This chapter is dedicated to ahsokazami because of her birthday! :)**_

_**Disclaimer:I don't think I own bakugan.**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 3: A shocking truth.**_

_All of a sudden,Shun's vision wavered and he stopped abruptly,feeling dizzy and nauseous ,a metallic taste forming in his mouth. He tried to breath deeply but to his terror,it kept hitching. Panicked,he choked and practically coughed in a desperate attempt to breathe. Darkness clouded his mind and the last thing he knew,he was falling into the abyss of nothingness..._

Every one in the field were shocked to see the way,the raven haired teen had collapsed on the ground before Keith had caught him just in time,saving him from hitting the hard floor. His topaz eyes were shut tight and his face was pale.

Dan was beyond scared. His friend...best friend fell unconscious during their battle. It seemed impossible. Shun was alright,wasn't he? Forgetting everything,he rushed towards his fallen comrade,whom Keith had gathered in his arms gently.

"Shun...Shun...come on buddy...open your eyes..." Dan knelt beside him,his eyes wide in fear and worry. He took his lifeless hand in his own,squeezing it reassuringly, "Stay strong Shun."

Keith glanced at him while checking the pulse of the teen in his arms. It was faster than usual.

"K...Keith...What happened to Shun? Will he be alright?" Dan had asked in an almost pleading voice.

"I...I think he'll be fine,Dan. He needs rest." Keith hesitated before replying.

Marucho was checking the stats of the battle, "I...don't believe it...it's a tie...their battle ended in a draw." He exclaimed.

Ren had departed after his brawl due to some unfinished business he had to attend to. Mira had stayed behind in the building. At receiving instructions,Marucho came back into reality and prepared the portal for them to return back.

Once they were back,Marucho went to explain things to Mira while Keith and Dan lied Shun in the bedroom,hoping for him to wake up soon. Dan decided to sit beside his unconscious friend,thinking that he needed him in this state. After checking Shun one more time,Keith left to put the bakugans in the recovery.

Dan glanced at the pale white face of his friend...best friend as he remembered their argument. He was constantly holding his hand in his own,worry evident in his every action. What had Shun been hiding? What was going on?

Keith stepped in the room,his face serious as he went to sit opposite Dan.

"Keith?" Dan lifted his head.

"Yeah?" The darkus brawler saw him interrogatively.

"You knew about it,didn't you? You were standing near him for a reason,right?"

Keith sighed, "Unfortunately,yes. Skyress had informed me when we were leaving for the brawl."

"Skyress?" Dan was surprised, "But why? I mean Shun would've hated it."

"You're right. Shun hated it." Keith replied, "But Skyress told me because she was worried about him."

"But why didn't she tell me?"

"Because you had an argument with Shun,remember?" Keith saw him.

"Oh." Dan lowered his gaze, "What do you know about Shun now?"

Keith averted his gaze, "Nothing good enough to be satisfied or ignored."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dan shifted.

"Fine,then listen." Keith took a deep breathe, "From one whole week,Shun hasn't been eating properly. You know why? Because every time he ate something or even drank water,he became sick and ended throwing up."

Dan's face had disbelief etched upon it, "No way."

"Yes," Keith continued, "He constantly felt exhausted and dizzy and had collapsed a few times during his training."

"And..." Dan's voice quivered.

"And he was having some sort of horrid nightmares and visions." Keith finished, "And that's definitely not natural."

"I...I don't...know...what to say." Dan's eyes had grief in them, "He's been sick all this time."

"And hiding it because he thought he'll disturb our routines like that." Keith added.

Dan clutched the lifeless hand in his own tightly, "Oh Shun..."

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Time went by slowly. Dan stayed by Shun's side all the time,holding his hand in his own. The unconscious teen hadn't shown any signs of waking up and that scared the brunette. Keith had checked him a few times to make sure he was recovering but the results were dropping. This concerned him. At last,the sky became pitch black and darkness ruled the outside,which was enough to make them realize that they should sleep.

Keith decided to tell Dan as well, "Hey Dan..."

"Hn..." The Pyrus brawler lifted his head.

"It's getting dark. We should sleep."

Instead of answering,Dan looked down at the prone form of his best friend sadly. Keith understood, "He'll be fine. Both of you are in the same room,right? Go and sleep on your bed."

Dan sighed and finally entangled his hand out of Shun's,giving him a silent look of 'good night',as he went to his bed. Keith left the room to let the two friends rest. Soon ,the building was over ruled by sleep.

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Dan woke to a strange sound. Confused,he glanced at the night glow clock which told him that it was 2:30 am. He was beyond puzzled as he searched the source of the voice around. Turning on the lamp,he felt the noise beside him and turned to check on Shun who was the source of his anxiety. The ventus brawler's breathing was laboured and shallow and he seemed to be whimpering quietly.

Dan stood and went towards his best friend's bed silently. He sat beside him before gently placing a hand on the teen's forehead,only to find it burning. He withdrew his hand, "Oh no,he's got a high fever..."

Dan noticed that Shun had clenched his fists. He took a deep breathe before softly opening up one of his hands and holding it in his own,rubbing it soothingly, "Shun...hey buddy...come on now...wake up...it's me,Dan..."

But to no avail. Shun's grip merely tightened on Dan's hand as he gritted his teeth in his feverish sleep. The Pyrus brawler sighed before standing up and easing his hand out of the grip, "Hey...I'm right here...I wont leave you buddy...I'll be right back."

He went to the bathroom cupboard and came back after a couple of minutes,retrieving a small towel cloth handkerchief and some cold water. Setting these articles near him,Dan sat on the bed beside Shun once again. Dabbing the rag in the water,Dan gently placed it on Shun's burning forehead,taking his hand in his own once more. Shun shifted uncomfortably at the cold contact.

Dan saw him sadly, "I know you don't like it but I have to do this. I'm sorry." He rubbed the top of his hand to comfort the sick teen. His cheeks were flushed and his face seemed to lose it's color by every passing minute which ticked away. Dan kept cooling his head and occasionally glanced at the clock. He continued the job but on the inside,he was extremely worried. What had happened to his best friend in a matter of time,in just a single day?

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The morning approached,announcing the arrival of a new day and waking every one up by the golden rays of sun. It was a cloudy day and the sun seemed to play hide and seek on the vast sky.

Mira went to make breakfast after visiting Marucho in his room. His cold seemed to get better as he wasn't sneezing anymore and was active. Keith went in the lounge but after a couple of minutes,realized that Dan's cheery aura was missing so he went to see if he was still asleep.

Keith knocked at the door lightly,in case they were sleeping. But to his surprise,after a few moments,the door opened revealing Dan's face which held a grave expression. Upon seeing Keith,he forced a smile,failing miserably, "Oh...hey...it's just you."

"Morning. What's wrong? Haven't you slept properly or something? You look...kinda dull."

"It's...nothing." Dan replied hesitantly.

The darkus brawler insisted, "Hey,come on,tell me..."

"Shun's sick..." Dan blurted out, worry and impatience evident in his voice, "He's suffering from fever. He's still unconscious."

"What?" Keith was shocked to hear this, "But he was recovering when I checked him yesterday."

"Not anymore. He's got worst." Dan told him before turning back, "I'm staying by his side so I wont be coming out."

Keith followed him inside,not believing what he had heard. He went to sand beside the unconscious teen who was breathing deeply,a pained expression crossing his face,his eyes shut tight.

Now concerned,Keith placed the back of his hand on Shun's cheek,which was enough to prove him that the Pyrus brawler was right. He checked Shun's pulse rate,which was not normal. Shun's vitals betrayed his condition. This was definitely not good.

Dan took his position again before informing Keith all about the night,briefly explaining everything. When he finished,Keith nodded understandingly before leaving after a small conversation.

Dan sighed and continued his job. His best friend seemed so...vulnerable at that point...

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Mira went to give breakfast to Dan in his room and asked about Shun before she left and went to her brother,telling him about Marucho's cold.

"What? He's actually getting better?" Keith was surprised twice in a morning.

"Yup. That's what he says." Mira replied with a small smile.

"So...he's good today. His illness is...hey...wait a second..." Suddenly,a thought struck Keith like a bolt of lightening, "What if...oh no...no it's not possible...but..."

Mira saw her brother confusingly as he fought and tried to reason with himself,totally forgetting her presence beside him, "Keith?"

"No...but that's impossible...but it could be...no...no..." Keith shook his head,frustrated about all this. He stood abruptly, "I'll be right back." With this he went to the lab before stomping off to the room where Dan and Shun were present.

Dan lifted his head as Keith entered the room,an unreadable expression on his face, "Keith...is something wrong?"

"I...I can't say anything yet..." Keith reached closer and bent over Shun,examining him sharply.

"What? What is it? What are you doing?" Dan saw him.

"Dan...listen,what if..." Keith conveyed his point in a barely audible whisper.

Dan's eyes widened, "N...no...it can't be...please...not this...he...he can't...not yet...not just now..."

"I'll have to test it." Keith told him with a grim face as he showed him what he had retrieved from the laboratory, "Just a small sample."

"Fine." Dan allowed him in a shaky voice.

Keith gently took Shun's lifeless hand in his own before taking out a small amount of blood from his wrist vein,making the teen grit his teeth uncomfortably, "There,all done...I'll be back."

With this,Keith left. Dan was looking at Shun worriedly,hoping for Keith's thought to be wrong.

After two hours,Keith returned to the room,his face serious and his eyes slightly wet.

"Well?" Dan asked in a quivering voice.

"It's just as I feared." Keith replied in a shaky voice as if he had cried before, "He's got that strange sickness as well."

"No..." Dan gasped, "Shun...no...oh no...he...he just can't...it's not possible..."

"I thought the same Dan...but it's true." Keith spoke bitterly, "Life is cruel."

_'**Life is cruel.' **_Why was this sentence so familiar for Dan's ears? All of a sudden,he remembered something...he remembered that evening...

_**(FLASHBACK)**_

"_Some times,we have to be realistic,Dan." Shun's voice was unexpectedly cool, "And this is one of those moments. I'm not day dreaming like you. Life is cruel..."_

"_No...you can't say that," Dan had yelled, "If something bad happens to you,will you be saying the same? Answer me,will you still say that we should stay calm?"_

"_Yes." Shun had stood his ground defiantly, "Even if I'm the one,I'll still be content in the thoughts that I'm not a burden on anyone." His voice had rose._

"_Easier said than done." Dan had spoken bitterly._

"_I'm only saying that instead of going crazy over an issue,you should stay in your senses." Shun's temper was rising._

"_Now,Shun,Dan,stop it. You don't want to fight over such a small..." Keith attempted but was cut off._

"_It's not small." Dan had shouted._

"_But it's nothing to fuss over yet." Shun had replied,his voice higher too._

"_Fine,I'll see how much you can handle without a cure if you get sick as well." Dan had looked at his best friend angrily._

_Shun's fists had clenched while the others' mouths were hung open at the bitter remark._

"_Better than you'll expect." Shun had answered before leaving._

_**(End Flashback)**_

The memory repeated itself over and over again in Dan's mind,each time replaying more clearly,mocking him,scaring him,making him regret his words...

"Oh Shun...I'm so sorry..." Dan blinked to take away the tears which threatened to fall from his brown eyes.

"It's not your fault Dan...he had been hiding it from a week." Keith told him.

"But I only made it worse." Dan was on the verge of tears.

Keith sighed before standing up, "What's done is done. We have to think of the present situation now."

With this,he left Dan to deal with the news. The moment the door was closed,Dan allowed his tears to fall on his face freely,not caring about anything but the prone form which lied still in front of him,his chest rising and falling heavily.

Dan clutched Shun's hand tightly before leaning on him,looking at his pale white face,which had slightly red tinges on his cheeks just under his closed eyes. This was not normal...not natural...not good...

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It was sunset when Dan felt some movement and turned his head towards Shun's face. Topaz eyes were opening slowly as the teen blinked,not understanding his surroundings. Dan placed a hand on his forehead, "Hey...how're you feeling?"

Shun blinked again to clear his vision as he realized he had a pounding headache and he felt sick,as if any movement would make him throw up. He shifted his gaze towards the other occupant of the room who was sitting beside him.

"What...happened?" Shun asked,immediately regretting it as he felt like opening his mouth was enough to double up his nausea. He flinched.

"You collapsed at the stadium when we were brawling." Dan told him in a concerned voice as he helped him to sit up, "We've been worried sick about you. You scared us to death back there buddy."

Shun silently thought about it as he remembered everything now. His wrist was stinging lightly so he saw it only to find a tiny red mark there on his vein. Dan followed his gaze, "Keith had taken your blood sample for a test. Shun...we know about what you were going through last week. Buddy,why didn't you tell us?"

Shun turned his head away,not willing to reply. When he got no answer,Dan placed a hand on Shun's shoulder,forcing him to look into his eyes, "Shun...I'm sorry for everything I said that day. I didn't mean it. Now I understand why you were so calm."

Shun saw him before replying, "Hn."

"What's wrong buddy? Say something."

Shun shook his head,making the headache stronger than before.

"Huh? Why not?" Dan asked him,concerned.

"D...Dan...gonna...be...sick..." Shun barely spoke out,making Dan jump into action as he managed to get a bowl for his sick friend just in time before he emptied the contents of his stomach in it. Taking it away,Dan came back and rubbed his back soothingly as Shun panted,his chest hurting like there was no end to the pain.

"You've still got quite the fever..." Dan stated worriedly.

"W...water..." Shun breathed out.

Dan helped him to drink the cold water before placing the glass back on the side table and helping him to lie back down, "I'll tell Keith."

With this,he left to call the Darkus brawler,telling him about it and Shun's sickness. After a couple of minutes,they returned,Keith immediately going beside Shun and checking his fever.

"Your temperature is still high." He stated before checking his pulse. Dan could see that Shun was getting annoyed but he didn't stop Keith because he knew this was necessary.

"You know Shun...hiding problems from your friends wont get you anywhere good." Keith told him.

Shun scoffed before pulling his hand out of Keith's and closing his eyes. Keith sighed before stepping back, "All you need is to drink plenty of water and rest. How're you feeling?"

"..."

"And don't tell me that you're fine because you aren't." Keith saw him sternly.

"Sick and tired and annoyed." Came the dry reply.

Keith laughed lightly, "Yeah right. I'll remember it for the next time." With this he left.

Dan smiled at his best friend as he saw him slipping into the abyss of sleep, "Good,finally resting." He murmured as he softly brushed away the raven hair,scattered on the drained face as he whispered, "Stay strong Shun...you have to fight...don't give up buddy..." _**Right! So now I'm tired but I still updated for my REVIEWERS! So...the mysterious sickness got Shun too...what's gonna happen now? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! :)**_

_**Until next time!**_


	4. Dark Times

_**Howdy my peeps! I know my update is a little late,but guess what?! The most hilarious thing in the UNIVERSE happened to me! Know what? In this story, I've been writing that at first,Marucho gets an unseasonal cold and then,Shun gets a fever. And now,look what happened to me! I'VE GOT AN UNSEASONAL COLD AND TONS OF SNEEZING AND A FEVER! So...if the updates are a bit slower than usual,please bear with me and think that I spent my free time in searching for my nose under my bed after four in a row sneezes instead of writing the fic! :) Hence...A..AA...AAAAAA...AAAAAAAAAACCHHHHHHHOOOOOO OOO!**_

_**P.S:A very special and heartiest thankyou and cookies for my reviewers and friends who made my day! I love you all! THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO KKTHENEKO AGAIN COZ SHE GAVE ME IDEAS AGAIN!  
**_

_**Disclaimer:I don't think I own bakugan!**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 4: Dark Times.**_

Time went by slower than it's usual pace. The brawlers had to face a hard and difficult zone. Shun usually slept most part of the day with Dan constantly sitting beside him. Keith checked over him a few times as well,Marucho got all fit and normal and even came to see Shun. Mira kept doing the chores and sending food for Dan since the Pyrus brawler refused to leave his best friend's bed side.

It was evening,the sun was setting when Shun finally woke up once again. Due to Dan constantly cooling his head all this time,his fever was a bit lower than before and he was feeling a little better. But he still refused to eat something despite Dan and Keith forcing him,they only managed to get some water inside him,with Keith threatening to use an iv drip on him.

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In a distant land surrounded by lava,a mysterious figure,dressed in gray and black was standing on a high rock,a twisted smile appearing on his face,as he talked to no one in particular, "Yes...finally...Now that I've spread this illness which has...no cure at all,I can destroy the brawlers. That tough ninja has fallen as well,although he took longer than I expected...but still...I can proceed with my plans now...No one will ever stop me...NO ONE..."

His evil laugh echoed beyond the cave. He took a step and left the volcanic land behind before entering a portal.

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It was getting dark and the brawlers were intending to relax in the living room,watch a movie or something and enjoy themselves when all of a sudden,a beep filled the building. Marucho quickly went to check the security before running back, "Guys...sector X2 is under attack."

"WHAT?" Dan yelled.

"Who is it?" Keith asked,standing up.

"The evil mechtogans." Marucho informed worriedly.

"Not again."

"Let's go."

Keith and Dan prepared to leave,instructing Mira and Marucho to stay back there and make sure of the data's safety.

"What's going on?"

Dan turned towards the voice only to find his best friend putting on the jacket. He went to the teen who was alerted by all the commotion.

"Shun...buddy...you need to rest."

"I'm fine." Shun's voice was annoyed.

"But..." Keith stepped forward.

"I said I'm fine. I'm coming with you as well." Shun's voice held a defiance.

Although extremely reluctant and hesitant,Keith and Dan allowed Shun to join them,with Dan stating that Shun will probably escape and jump of the building to fight along side them.

So the spectrum portal opened and they entered the path to secure the area in danger.

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Sector X2 was nothing but a mess now. All destroyed,the systems damaged,the ground crumpled,rocky rabble present here and there. Once the three brawlers reached the field,they stared around in disbelief. Suddenly,a menacing laugh echoed to welcome them,followed by a cold voice, "Ah...so the brawlers have come to save the day..."

They looked above only to find Wiseman standing by the battle field with an evil smirk.

"You...why you..." Dan wanted to hit him in a fit of fury.

"What do you want now?" Keith asked the man.

Shun remained silent but alarmed. His senses getting sharp and alert.

"Who...? Me...? Oh...yeah right...I'm here to change you guys into...nothing. I'm actually surprised that you managed to come,_dear Shun..."_

"Shut it." The ventus brawler had murmured.

"In fact, I had no idea that you could be so stubborn...you never fell for my trap...but now...you're going to be history and you're still here. Well,either I finish you off or not,you'll die anyway. I've heard that you were...sick." Wiseman smirked cruelly.

Shun flinched,his eyes twitching slightly. He had tried his best to ignore it and manage on his own but now...

"Well,now then,let's get started." Wiseman snapped his fingers.

The furious mechtogans rose,ready to attack. The three brawlers prepared their stance for a fierce battle as well,throwing out their bakugans. In a flash,there was a doomed brawl going on. Because of the shaking ground and constantly falling material,the teens had to use their trust worthy bakugans. Hence their formation changed. Now,Dan was in the east sitting on Drago's crown,Keith was in the west standing by Hydranoid's neck,and Shun was riding his Skyress soaring through the air,wind swishing by him.

Wiseman smirked,clearly enjoying the scenario. He tapped his foot, "Let's began."

"ABILITY ACTIVATE,BLAZING FIRE FLAME ." Dan commanded. (**A/N:Who would remember the actual attack names now,eh?!)**

A massive ball of fire erupted to destroy the evil beings but when it cleared,they came out unharmed.

"What?" Dan stared, "That's impossible."

"Stay back Dan,I'll handle it," Keith ordered, "Ability activate,Dark Distortion."

The darkness rose to swallow their opponent but was cut off by a single wave of blast from the mechtogans.

'My turn.' Shun thought, "Ability Activate..."

"Oh no you don't." Wiseman yelled, "Ability activate,Take Down."

In a flash,something had gone wrong...

"Shun...What's happening..." Skyress tried to regain control.

"Skyress...watch out..." Shun cried out but it was too late. A huge wave of blinding light appeared out of no where in front of the Ventus team and hit them full force followed by a screech from Skyress.

"SHUN..." Dan had shouted.

Surrounded by dust and smoke,Shun coughed dryly. All of a sudden,he realized that something was not right.

"Skyress...Skyress...Where are you going...no...stop..."

But in vain as he noticed that his guardian bakugan was knocked out. And then...

The other two saw with wide eyes as the glorious phoenix crashed on the ground,forcefully hard. Dust rose to cover it up.

"Oh no...Shun..." Dan rushed towards the horrid sight,Keith following close behind.

Wiseman smirked cruelly, "Excellent work,one down,two to go."

"Shun..." Dan looked around as the new rabble settled down, "Shun...buddy..."

"Dan...over here..." Keith pointed the Pyrus brawler as he caught a glimpse of a black and green fabric before it disappeared under more fallen rocks.

"Oh no..." Dan gasped as he quickly began to pick and throw away the rocks in an attempt to rescue his alive but burried friend. Keith following suit. After a couple of minutes,they managed to get him out.

"Oh...thank goodness...Shun...hey buddy..." Dan sighed in relief.

"He's hurt." Keith was checking on the unconscious teen.

Suddenly,the ground began to rumble and shook violently.

"Whoa...what's going on..." Dan looked around,keeping a good and firm hold on his best friend.

"I think the arena is destroyed." Keith glanced over the now falling stadium.

"We need to get out...NOW..." Dan quickly stood,supporting his best friend up with him.

"Well,that is disappointing now. I missed my fun." Wiseman saw the brawlers, "Never the less,we shall meet again."

He called his mechtogans back before disappearing,leaving the brawlers stunned.

_**Okay,i know that it sucks...but I still updated for the readers. I'm sick,remember?! So forgive me.**_


	5. When darkness spreads around

_**YES,YOU ARE NOT HALLUCINATING NOR IT IS AN ILLUSION,sorry for the delay but I was busy with other stuff. Look on the bright side,new chapter has arrived! In fact, I had written this chap ages ago but then,my laptop began to act silly and removed it from my files! So I had to re-write it all over again. It's better late than never!**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 5: When Darkness Spreads Around.**_

With a loud rumble,the roof of sector X2 began to tumble down,making the brawlers jump into action.

"We have to go...NOW..." Dan exclaimed before calling, "DRAGO..."

With a roar,the mighty dragon came into view and stretched out his clawed hand. In an instant,Keith and Dan quickly supported their ventus friend and boarded the Pyrus bakugan who took flight,avoiding the falling rocks.

The moment they escaped,the whole sector came tumbling down. Dan looked over his shoulder at the rising cloud of dust before sighing and looking at the unconscious teen in his arms. He was pale and barely breathing.

"He doesn't look so good." Hydranoid commented.

"Yeah..." Keith glanced at the ventus brawler sadly, "He was sick already and we still allowed him to fight."

Dan lifted his head, "We could force him to stay but that was not a very bright option."

Every one agreed in quiet murmurs.

"Now what?", Dan suddenly asked, "How are we supposed to get back?"

"We have to contact Marucho and tell him to prepare the portal but..." Keith paused.

"But what?" Dan was not liking the direction where the conversation was going.

Keith took a deep breath, "But the controls were destroyed back there when the sector demolished."

"WHAT...?" Dan yelled in disbelief, "No..."

"Unfortunately,yes. We don't have a way to contact the others." Keith told him exasperated.

"Then...then...what do we do? We have to go back...Shun needs help...he's hurt...he was sick...there has to be a way...there's got to be something we can do..." Dan spoke up frantically.

"Calm down Daniel...we'll find a way out of here somehow." Drago glanced back.

"I hope so..." Dan muttered.

So they continued to move through the sky,glancing down for a place to stay. After a while,Drago landed on a plain patch of ground and the brawlers stepped down. Dan gently lied the unconscious teen on the ground before sighing heavily. He wanted to help his best friend right now more than ever but the options were very limited. Keith began to try and connect to the servers back in the real world with the help of his...watch?! (_**A/N:It's that watch thing which they wear in fourth season people**_.) A buzzing sound filled the air followed by some frequency disturbance.

"The signals are weak here." Keith observed.

Dan got up from his friend's side,went over and sat beside Keith and simply punched the stupid watch.

"Hey,what was that for? What do you...Huh?" Keith stopped speaking as a voice appeared out of no where.

"Um...hell-o? Ma-ru-cho spea-kin-g..." The signals were interrupted but the voice was still there.

"MARUCHO!" Dan yelled at the voice,glaring at Keith's watch.

"I...hear-d you..in..the..fir-st...pla-ce..Da-n.." The shorter brawler told him.

"Can you get us out of this idiotic place? We're kinda stuck here and the control systems were damaged." Keith explained o the aquos brawler.

"Su-re..I-'ll..tr-y..to..se-t..up...the...po-r-t-a l..Ju-st..wa-it..a..mi-n-u-te.."

Keith tried his best to understand what the other was saying but muffled signals made it rather hard. Then the connection disappeared.

"Well? What did he say?" Dan asked impatiently.

"I...think...he said that he'll get four turtles with a mint!" Keith scratched his head and looked at the now blank watch, "Does that makes any sense?"

"I don't really think so. Pepper mint or other?" Dan asked back earning a confused glance from the darkus brawler and a sigh.

"I guess we'll have to wait for the turtles from the sea shore with a mint then!" Dan sat back down beside his best friend. He placed a hand on his forehead and gently stroked back his hair absent-mindedly. Keith seemed to be thinking as well about...turtles...mints...?!

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An eternity passed. In the mean time,Shun's fever rose a few points higher. Finally,a familiar buzzing sound appeared and the two brawlers looked at the watch. This time,Marucho's image appeared as well.

"Hey you guys...I figured out the portal thing and fixed the signal problems." The shorter brawler looked proud of himself.

"Geez..." Dan breathed out, "What took you so long? We've been waiting for ages."

"Patience is a virtue." Came the wise reply.

"Well? When can we get out of this place?" Keith asked.

"Um...I'll set up the portal in a few minutes then you can leave the dimension." The aquos brawler informed.

"Okay...we'll be waiting." With this,the connection ended.

"Oh..." Dan suddenly jumped.

"What?" Keith asked.

"We forgot to ask Marucho."

"Ask what?"

"About turtles and mints!"

Keith sighed, "Forget it. We're just becoming idiots."

So,the three friends prepared for their teleportation and set up to wait. After a while,a sound erupted from the air and a spectrum appeared.

"Alright! Marucho did it." Dan stood from the boulder he was sitting on and looked down at the unconscious teen and the darkus brawler beside him.

"Yup,let's go." Keith followed.

And they entered the portal without hesitation. The tunnel went round and round and finally they reached the end. Ouside,they saw the familiar face of Maucho who greeted them cheerfully, "Hey guys,I did it! And you know what...what happened to Shun?" His proud tone changed into anxiety as he completely forgot what he was talking about.

"He'll be fine." That's all that came as a reply.

As Keith and Dan left to take Shun to his room,Marucho began to shut down the computers. He had spent three whole hours on the machine.

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Dan was sitting beside his best friend once more,cooling his head when Keith entered, "How is he?"

The Pyrus brawler lifted his head, "His fever is really high."

"He was getting better..." Keith sighed, "But that accident at the sector just made his condition worse."

"I know." Dan lowered his gaze, "Isn't there any thing we can do about it?"

"Nothing much. Water and sleep are what he really needs though." Keith turned to left, "Call me if you need some thing."

"Okay."

With this,the door closed lightly. Dan glanced at the pale white face which had red tinges on the cheeks below the eyes. He brushed away a few strands of raven hair from the face as he whispered, "Hang in there buddy...don't leave me yet...I need you..."

Tears threatened to fall from his brown eyes as his voice grew heavy. He leaned back in the chair as his eyes became wet. Drops trailed on his cheeks and fell from his chin on the back of the warm hand,he was holding.

"D-Dan...?"

Dan quickly wiped away the tears from his face as he heard the faint voice and looked down only to find topaz eyes piercing his soul, "Hey buddy...how're you feeling?"

"Why are you crying?" Came the counter question.

"Huh...? Oh...nothing...nothing special at all..." Dan quickly looked away.

"I know when you're hiding something." Shun sighed as he glanced at the Pyrus brawler.

"It's...it's just that...that...I'm worried." Dan admitted,he couldn't...he could never hide anything from his best friend.

"About me?", Shun saw him, "Don't be."

"Why? Shun,you're sick and you're telling me not to worry...in case you've forgotten,we haven't found a cure for this illness." Dan looked at him angrily...no...it wasn't anger...it was...fear of losing him...it was sadness...it was frustration...

"Worrying about me wont get you anywhere. Will you find the cure if you get all worked up like that?" The monotone voice seemed to affect Dan and calm him but that was not enough...not when the owner of that voice was slipping out of his hands...

"Shun...I don't want to lose you...", Dan spoke up abruptly, "I wont be able to live without you...you have to get better and you have to do that soon..." He knew he was being selfish but his heart clenched seeing his strong friend so vulnerable...so changed.

"Dan..." Shun was about to say something but all of a sudden,his chest burned and a coughing fit engulfed his respiration as he felt sick.

"Shun..." Dan began to rub his back soothingly as he coughed but it went in vain.

"D-Dan..g-na...be...si-ck..."

The voice brought Dan back to reality and he quickly got a bowl as Shun heaved...tears of pain stinging his topaz eyes as he emptied the few contents of his stomach. When he settled back panting,Dan helped him to drink some water.

"This is getting nowhere. I'll ask Keith..."

"No wait..." Shun stopped him in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine."

"Shun..." Dan scolded him, "You are sick." He emphasized his words firmly.

"I..." Another coughing session blocked his voice. Dan sighed before placing a hand on his forehead, "You're burning up again buddy."

Shun closed his eyes,forcing himself to relax. It proved to be a hard task as his chest was hurting like hell and he was gasping for the precious air. He shuddered as another wave of pain hit his head and grimaced at the thought of having a migraine at a time like that. He barely noticed Dan talking to him,asking him something in a worried voice as his mind began to shut on him. His vision blurred as spots danced in front of his eyes,growing bigger and bigger until he couldn't see anything but darkness. He was fainting again...because of the pain or the fever...or both perhaps...he couldn't think straight.

Dan saw him anxiously as his best friend's hand became lifeless in his own once again. The unconscious teen was breathing deeply,his teeth clenched in pain and eyes closed tightly. He sighed before replacing the cool cloth on his forehead. How long was it going to take for his best friend to get back to normal once more...?

He bent over the pale while face which seemed drained, "Hang in there Shun...stay strong buddy...you have to fight...don't give up...I promise I'll find the cure for you...I wont let you die like this...never..."

_**Yes,I know...a pointless chapter indeed...but what can I do? first I was sick and then my school got over my head and now that I've summer vacations,I'll try my best to update soon...if any one of my readers is still with me,cookies for them! :) If not then...OYE,GET BACK TO THE STORY TRACK...! Read and Review dear reader! See you all in the next chappie!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! :)**_


	6. When Life becomes Suffocating

_**Hi readers! I know,it's a late update but I was busy and my life was getting up and down so please give me some space...thank you!**_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers and friends! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 6:When life becomes suffocating.**_

Days passed by with the ventus brawler getting worse. His fever kept spiking and he couldn't keep his food down for even ten minutes. He was severely dehydrated but refused to drink water because of the nausea. He was becoming frail,weaker than he had ever felt. His strength was leaving him,transforming him into the illusion of the handsome teen,he was once. Now,he was a pale white figure,who had red tinges on his cheeks due to the sickness,he was trying to fight. His options to do something were very short limited and he was still struggling to live.

Dan tried to entertain his best friend all the time and didn't leave him for a single moment. He helped the sick teen as much as he could,when he heaved,when he had nightmares,when he couldn't sit up by himself,when he had small arguments with Keith whenever the darkus brawler came to check on him,when he asked for water,when he needed company...and many more times.

It was a cloudy day when Keith came in the room again. Shun was sleeping. Dan was sitting beside him,rubbing his hand soothingly to comfort the sick teen.

"Hey." Keith greeted in a low whisper.

"He just slept." Dan told him in a low voice as well, "So you better keep it down."

Keith nodded before checking the teen's vitals, "His fever's still high. It seems that not even the strongest medicines are able to reduce it down."

"I know." Dan lowered his gaze sadly.

"And..." Keith pursed his lips, "he's badly dehydrated. How much more can he take? We can't risk it. He needs water."

Dan lifted his head, "What can we do? We don't have a clue about the cure."

"An IV drip. Nothing but just pure water."

A depressed silence filled the air thickly as Dan swallowed,his lips getting dry, "Oh Shun..."

"I know it's hard but we have to do it. It's the only way. He's barely hanging on and we have to help him hang in there a little longer." Keith's face turned very serious.

"But...but give him some time...at least until he wakes up. If we tell him before doing this,we wont lose his trust on us."

With a heavy sigh,Keith agreed before leaving.

Dan turned toward his best friend as he felt his hand moving a bit in his own. After a couple of minutes,topaz eyes opened slowly followed by a deep breath.

"Hey buddy,how're you feeling?" Dan bent over him.

"Sick." Came the short reply.

Getting that type of reply meant that something was terribly wrong with the ventus brawler because mostly,it was only 'fine' or 'nothing' as an answer from his side but right now,his response clenched Dan's heart.

"Shun...listen buddy,we need to talk." Dan finally gathered his courage.

Shun silently turned his face ever so slightly towards his friend.

"You may not like this and neither do we.", Dan gently stroked his hair which roughly framed his cheeks, "But we have to do this."

"Do what?" Shun asked quietly.

"Keith says,since you can't...you feel nauseous after eating or drinking anything and it causes you pain,he says we might...we might have to use and IV drip."

"What?" Shun shifted uncomfortably,having little to no strength to get up.

"I...I know you hate it...I know it brings back memories of your past...but we have to do this...it's the only way. It's just to get some water into your system as you can't do it yourself...and nothing else."

Shun's breath hitched...'memories'...the most painful memories of his past...memories which brought tears in his topaz eyes...

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**Mom...does it hurt too much?" A raven haired young boy was standing beside a white bed in a white room.**_

_**The occupant of the bed smiled at the innocent question of her son, "A little bit at first but now it's fine."**_

"_**But you...you didn't even cry when they did this..." The boy whispered.**_

"_**Oh Shun...come here." The woman who resembled the boy very much motioned him to sit on the bed and held his hand in her own, "The doctor said,I'll be back to normal if I take these medicines. And I...want to be normal...I want to play with my Shun once again..." the woman's voice became heavy as her eyes got moist, "And if I want to do all that,I'll have to bear some pain. I can do that for my Shun no matter how many needles go through me."**_

"_**You are very brave,mom." Shun tried to smile.**_

_**The woman shook her head as tears rolled down her pale face and absorbed into the white collar of the dress she was wearing, "I'm not brave,sweet heart. I get my courage from you. You are my strength and you are my support. When I see you happy, I feel much better and become content on that."**_

"_**Me? Then I'll...I'll stay with you. I'll never leave you." The young boy was wise beyond his age.**_

"_**No dear.", the woman shook her head, "I might not...be able to...keep our bond safe. I want you to promise me something."**_

"_**Anything mom." The raven haired boy sniffed as his tears threatened to fall from his topaz eyes.**_

"_**Promise me that you'll be brave Shun,no matter what happens...Promise me you'll get stronger...and..." The tears flowed down her face fastly, "and promise me Shun,that you'll always keep me in your heart...I'll always be there to help you."**_

"_**I promise mom..." the boy's fists clenched, "I'll never forget you."**_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Dan quickly sat on the bed beside his best friend as crystalline drops escaped Shun's eyes at the memory.

"Oh Shun...it'll be okay...you'll be fine...I promise...everything's going to be alright." He pulled the feverish teen into a warm embrace.

"Mom..." Shun whispered hoarsely, "I...I'm not...brave...I'm not strong...she...she said I...I promised her..."

The broken words striked Dan's heart as he tightened his grip, "Shh...I know...you're not alone buddy,I'm with you."

After some time,the tears subsided as Shun calmed down a little bit. He wasn't scared of the drip but he just became upset as memories rushed in and flooded his mind. Dan informed Keith and both of them helped Shun to settle in the medical wing of the building. This area was peaceful.

Dan was holding the cold hand of the nervous teen as he watched with a heavy heart when Keith gently inserted an IV drip in his wrist. After some time,Shun had slept,exhausted. Silence ruled the room.

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Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. Shun woke in the evening and had a pounding head ache as his fever rose a few more degrees. Right now,Dan was talking to him about their past times,they had spent together,recalling the memories to entertain his sick friend.

"Dan?" Shun asked quietly.

"Yes buddy?" Dan stopped rambling and looked at him.

"Will I die?"

"What? Of course not." Dan scolded him.

"But it's prolonging and there is nothing any one can do." Shun looked at the plain ceiling blankly.

"I promise you,we'll find a cure for this sickness soon." Dan assured his depressed friend.

"I can't take it anymore." Shun whispered brokenly.

"I know..." Dan stroked his raven hair gently, "But you've got to hang in there buddy." His best friend was sad. This fast fact hit him hard.

"I just...I just want to sleep...for eternity now..."

"Shun..." Dan tried to say but Shun seemed to go in a trance.

"All this pain...I can't even move...I'm just becoming a burden for you all...I should just die some where...alone..." His state got worse as he shivered a bit.

"No,don't say that." Dan looked at the feverish teen worriedly.

A bitter smile crept it's way on Shun's pale face, "I'm not worth living. I couldn't even fulfill my promise. I don't deserve all this care."

"Shun...please..." Dan pleaded, "You are worth more than you think." **(A/N: Um...KKtheNeko,you know this sentence,right?!)**

A lone tear escaped Shun's eyes as the topaz orbs closed slowly. And after a few minutes,his breathing evened out as a feverish sleep took over him. Dan sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. This conversation had cost him all his will,not to cry.

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Dan was sitting beside his best friend when he felt some movement under the covers. He turned around to see Shun,shifting uncomfortably and shaking his head.

"Shun...buddy,what's wrong?" Dan asked as Shun's eyes opened slowly and betrayed his condition by widening as he gasped. Dan quickly went to sit on the bed beside him and leaned over his best friend whose eyes showed...fear and pain...

Dan grabbed him by his shoulders as Shun shivered uncontrollably. All of a sudden,the sick teen shot up in the bed and held his head, startling Dan.

"Shun..."

"NO..." Shun had screamed, "HE'S KILLING THEM...THEY'RE...THEY'RE AFTER ME..."

"Shun..." Dan held him by his shoulders firmly, "Shun,there's no one here buddy,you're fine...I'm here with you..."

Shun simply screamed at the top of his lungs,his voice breaking, "THEY'LL KILL YOU...THEY'LL KILL EVERY ONE...THEY ARE...THEY ARE HERE..." He gasped,eyes widening in fear as he struggled to get off the bed.

"Shun...Shun listen to me,there's no one here...it's only an illusion...you just had a nightmare...calm down...buddy,I'm here...I wont let anyone ever hurt you...look at me...relax..." Dan tried to calm him but when the teen didn't get a grip,the Pyrus brawler held him in a tight embrace. The delusional teen cried brokenly,his words muffled in Dan's shoulder as he sobbed, "I'm...I'm not strong...I'm not brave...why am I so weak...I...I must die...I have to..."

"Shh...it's okay...it's alright...everything's fine buddy..." Dan spoke to his best friend soothingly,comforting him. But the Ventus brawler couldn't calm down as his fever rose up dangerously,crossing the limits. His world began to spin and soon,he couldn't see anything but darkness and starkly contrasting bright spots.

Dan gasped as Shun became still in his arms and looked down only to find him unconscious. He gently lied him back under the covers as the door knocked and Keith entered. Shun's strangled cry had echoed in the air and winds had picked it up,carrying it to the darkus brawler.

"What happened here?" He asked worriedly and looked at the broken glass which Shun had accidentally thrown down.

"Shun was hallucinating." Dan told him in a grim voice, "Then he fainted."

Keith bent over the pale white face and placed his hand on Shun's forehead before drawing it back sharply, "He's burning. How could he spike up such a high fever?"

"How should I know. He was scared and depressed,that's all." Dan looked away.

A blood stain caught Keith's eyes as he was checking the feverish teen, "He even ripped out the IV."

He rearranged the IV drip before gently resetting it in Shun's wrist.

"What set him off like that?"

"I've no idea." Dan exhaled deeply.

"Well,I think I should add another fever reducer into his system." Keith stated worriedly before retrieving the medication.

After a couple of minutes,the room became normal,just as before...but it couldn't be called normal exactly...when a sick teen was barely hanging on...and his best friend cooling his head to reduce the heat...and his friends concerned about his life more than ever...how could anything be normal...?

_**TBC!**_

_**I wrote it all in a single day! now be good and give me some credit for that! :) *yawn* Until next time!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! **_

_**See you all in the next chappie! :)**_


	7. Shaken to the Core

_**Hola peeps! Read and review and enjoy if possible!**_

_**A special thankyou from the bottom of my heart to all my reviewers who motivated me and encouraged me to go on! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 7: Shaken to the core.**_

Dan sighed. The past few experiences had not only shocked him but shaken him to the core as well. To see his best friend breaking apart made his heart cry tears of blood. The once perfect teen was turning into a physically and emotionally suffering sick boy. Physically,he had became very weak and heat radiated from his body and could be felt if someone sat near him and as for his emotions,they were not stable. At times,he became depressed and cried,or seemed to go in a trance and talked about things which made no sense. He was scared of his constant horrid nightmares which attacked his mind in his feverish sleep. The IV drip was constantly providing his body the much needed water through his wrist vein. In all,he was standing at the cliff of a dead end,ready to jump and embrace the eternal sleep.

Right now,the Ventus brawler was staring at the plain ceiling blankly. Dan was trying to get him to talk but he seemed to be indifferent of his surroundings and had no interest in answering. It was all because of Shun's anger at himself. He was getting tired of nightmares and Keith had suggested that he needed rest so they might have to sedate him. This one thing was enough to flare him up as the raven haired teen hated it. Dan had somehow managed to cool him down and calm him a bit but it wasn't enough. Shun had cried in front of Dan. First an IV and now sedatives...all his memories came crashing back to him,haunting him,suffocating him,ironically laughing at him,bringing him on the verge of tears,fear and pain evident in his topaz eyes.

"Shun,come on buddy...talk to me..." Dan pleaded. His patience was remarkable as he dealt with his sick friend.

"There's nothing left to talk about." Shun answered,still gazing at the roof.

"Don't say that...you can't lose hope...we'll find the cure for you...I promise." Dan took his hand in his own.

Shun abruptly pulled his hand out of the grip as he glanced at Dan, "You know what Dan,I'm sick and tired of all this..." His voice was harsh, "I'm tired of all these promises. I don't need them. Every time some thing happens,all you say is that you promise. Promises are not enough to live and dwell upon."

The short out burst surprised Dan since his best friend was cool-minded and calm.

"Shun...I know it's getting hard for you to manage. We're trying to handle..."

"You don't know...you can't..." Shun turned his head away,frustrated, "I'm sorry...I just...I just can't take it anymore." His voice was low now as he shifted,his back facing Dan.

"I understand buddy.", Dan smiled sadly, "I know how you feel."

Shun coughed. His head was pounding as if some one was hitting it with a hammer. He groaned in annoyance as a wave of pain surged through his chest. All this pain was getting unbearable. He needed...escape...he wanted...freedom...

"Maybe you should rest buddy..." Dan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No..." Shun shook his head, "Can't."

"Just close your eyes and get some sleep." Dan forced him again.

"I said no...I don't want to have nightmares again." Shun struggled.

"Shun...listen to me...every time you have nightmares,I'm always here to wake you up...right? Please...you need rest." Dan told him sternly.

"I'm scared..." For Shun to openly admit it in a low,barely audible whisper meant that he had high chances of a cardiac arrest.

Dan's heart missed a beat, "Oh buddy..." He finally decided, "Would you like to have a tranquilizer?"

Shun lifted his head,his eyes slightly widened, "I...I didn't say that."

Dan hated it but sedating his friend seemed the only option left now, "I'm sorry...but it's the only thing left to make you feel better." He gently ran a finger on his cheek which was facing up,tracing the red tinges which had appeared there due to sickness and fever.

Something stabbed the sick teen in his heart painfully as another memory flashed in his mind to suffocate him on the verge of tears of blood...

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**Mom...why aren't you answering me?" Topaz eyes had tears in them.**_

_**Nothing but the constant slow beep of the heart monitor was filling the white room and cracking the heavy fog of silence.**_

"_**Mom...are you sleeping?" Raven hair were moving slightly by the wind but their young owner seemed as still as a statue.**_

"_**Sh-n..." The voice was quivering and the young boy had to strain his hearing capabilities to listen the word.**_

"_**I came mom...like I had promised last night." Young voice was filled with hope.**_

"_**I kn-ew...you-'d co-me..." The woman smiled or at least,tried to smile behind the transparent mask that covered most of her face.**_

"_**Have they used this mask so that you cannot talk to me?" The boy tilted his head to get a better view of his bed-ridden mother.**_

"_**No...sweet-heart...I ca-n...spea-k to...my...Shu-n." The woman resembled her son very much.**_

"_**Grandfather hit me today." The boy told,his voice hateful and topaz eyes shining with crystalline drops.**_

"_**Wh-y?" Talking was becoming a hard task now for the hospitalized woman.**_

"_**He...he said I waste too much time here...with you...I became angry at him and I...I shouted...I told him I'll never leave my mom...no matter what happens...then he...he slapped me...and I...I ran away and...and came here...to you..." Crystal trails formed on the pale cheeks of the young face.**_

_**The woman rose a hand shakily and touched her son's cheek,stroking it softly before closing her eyes. The hand became still and tensed a bit before falling back down lifelessly.**_

"_**Mom? What happened? Mom...are you alright?" The boy asked as his mother tried to say something but nothing escaped her dry lips. A moment of silence came and went by and then...**_

_**A long,constant,endless beep filled the atmosphere,horrifying the boy and shaking him to the core.**_

"_**MOM..."**_

_**His scream echoed and was over-ruled by the dreadful,terrific beep...**_

_**END FLASHBACK.**_

Shun tried his best to blink away the tears but in vain as the horrid memory repeated itself over and over again. Parts of sentences still echoed in his mind,

"_**The oxygen machine had messed up...fix it...NOW..."**_

"_**Commence CPR,the heart rate is dropping."**_

"_**-dangerously low...QUICK..."**_

"_**Remove the mask..."**_

"_**Put that one on..."**_

"_**-can't risk it..."**_

"_**-very difficult...it's hard now..."**_

"_**-almost impossible..."**_

"_**-not getting a response..."**_

"_**-extremely critical..."**_

"_**There's nothing we can do now..."**_

"_**-use that mask for anesthesia."**_

"_**-might not survive..."**_

The sick teen shuddered as the incomplete bits of sentences stabbed his heart sharply...making him cry out to stop the haunting voices, "STOP IT..."

His action startled Dan as the Ventus brawler shook his head and shivered violently,his teeth clenched and topaz eyes shut tight as he hyperventilated.

Dan sat on the bed and held him firmly, "Shun...Shun...look at me..."

But the teen got worse as tears spilled on the covers and his fever rose dangerously,reaching the limits.

"Shun...look at me...come on...try to relax..." Dan took his hand in his own,only to find it becoming cold, "Shun..."

He worriedly called Keith who rushed in the room, "What...? What happened? Is he okay?"

"I...I don't know..." Dan was holding the sub-conscious teen by his shoulders,who was sweating and shaking.

"Shun..." Keith tapped his face gently, "Come on...open your eyes..."

But his attempt went in vain as the teen gasped and choked.

"What the...SHUN..." Keith quickly began to rub his chest gently as the sick teen struggled and fought to breathe.

"He needs oxygen...Dan..." Keith looked at the Pyrus brawler expectantly.

"W-what can I say...I don't know..." Dan panicked.

"I'll get the mask...we can't risk his life." Keith got up.

Dan placed his hand on the barely conscious teen's forehead as Keith retrieved the object and stroked back his hair gently. He was extremely worried but at the same time,he was some what relieved to find the Darkus brawler by his side for help. Keith fixed up all the wires and with a deep breath,placed the mask on the teen's mouth and nose gently.

As soon as Shun realized something was happening,he began to struggle. Even though,the fever had drained his strength,he still tried to put up a fight. Dan held him by his shoulders firmly as his best friend tried to fight against the mask.

"Shun...buddy listen to me...it's just an oxygen mask...it will help you to breathe...calm down..." He was trying his best to restrain his best friend.

"Stop fighting...it's just to help you..." Keith grabbed his hand firmly which had the IV drip in the wrist as to stop the teen from ripping it out again, "Come on...be a good boy and accept it already." He sighed as Shun tried to pull his hand out of his grip and tightened his hold.

It took a good half an hour to hold him down before the fever crossed its limits and the teen fainted. All this pain and exhaustion was too much for him to bear.

"Shun..." Dan called unsurely as his best friend stopped struggling.

"He's unconscious." Keith exhaled as he checked the pulse rate and the fever, "And spiking up a high fever...again."

"How long is it going to continue like this?" Dan asked,exasperated,as he got up from the side of the bed and sat in the chair beside it,taking the lifeless hand in his own.

"I don't know what to do...where is the cure...what is the cure...I've no idea." Keith sighed,falling in the chair opposite to Dan beside the bed.

"We have to help Shun and we have to do it soon. He'll die like this." Dan's voice was filled with determination.

"I know that...but the point is...what can we do?" Keith raised his head before getting up, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Dan nodded and the Darkus brawler left.

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Far across the distance,on a volcanic land,where no creature could withstand the barren dryness,a figure was sitting in a cave surrounded by lava. He was coughing every once in a while and magma's lust shone on his masked face.

"Ugh...this illness was meant for the others,especially the brawlers...not me..." He muttered,followed by a sneeze.

"Master...?"

"What?" Wiseman spat at his bakugans.

"You should make yourself a cure sire."

"As if I didn't know." Wiseman huffed out.

Boiling lava's reflection could be seen on his grey and black mask as he smirked evilly.

"Very well then...so be it. I'll prepare the cure for me only. But in order to do that,I need a special ingredient...I need...the blood of some one who has suffered this sickness...someone young and strong..."

He laughed menacingly as the an image appeared in front of him. Raven hair,topaz eyes and Ventus attribute...

_**Okay peeps,that's it for now. That's all folks! read and review and if possible,enjoy! and the next chapter might be the last one or second to last. So be prepared!**_

_**FrangrantRose signing out! :)**_

_**Until next time! :)**_


	8. When Heart misses a beat

_**Hey readers,read and enjoy and review!**_

_**Cookies and hearts for my reviewers who made my day! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 8: When Heart misses a beat.**_

It was night and the brawlers place was normal...well not really that much normal since a storm was approaching and winds howled loudly as if predicting the dangers which lied ahead if one step went wrong. Dark clouds concealed the hopeful stars to prevent them from shining brightly to show way to those who'd go astray,lost in the darkness. Every once in a while,they thundered furiously.

The room was dimly lit to provide the Ventus brawler much needed rest. He was sleeping somewhat peacefully since Keith had sedated him using anesthesia. Dan was sitting at his side,stroking his hair gently,soothing his burning forehead. This time,Keith was present in the room as well,to keep check on the sleeping figure.

A couple of minutes passed in silence and Dan sighed heavily. This was getting nowhere. Keith glanced at him and stood, "I'll be back."

Dan nodded and saw the shadow of Darkus brawler as he closed the door lightly behind him. He stretched in his chair since he had been sitting in the same position for about three hours now. Shun had slept for almost four hours and Keith had stated to remove the anesthesia after a few minutes.

His watch buzzed and Dan looked down at it. Keith's sound appeared, "Dan...can you come in the laboratory for a moment? I've found the cure..."

"What?!" Dan jumped out of his chair, "Are you serious? Is it true?"

"Yes,now hurry up and come." With this,the communication ended.

Dan looked at Shun's pale face and thought twice about leaving. He didn't want to leave his best friend for a single moment but the cure was important too and it was his priority right now. He stroked his friend's hair,whispering, "I'll be right right back buddy...You'll be fine."

He silently left the room and hurried down the hallway. As soon as he left,the winds howled loudly and the window of Shun's room opened,revealing the silhouette of a figure as lightning crackled behind him. The mysterious shadow's eyes darted around in the room and finally glared at the sick teen. He smirked evilly and stepped into the room. Reaching near the unconscious teen,he cruelly ripped out the IV drip from his wrist and pulled away the mask from his face. Throwing away the covers on the ground mercilessly,he spoke up in a low,venomous voice, "Hello Shun..."

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Dan quickly entered the lab only to find no one there. He called out, "Keith...? where are you?" But got no answer. Scanning the whole area,he saw everything was in place like normal. But where was Keith? Dan was sure,he was in the right room. Confused,he went out and checked the other rooms. Mira and Marucho were sleeping in their respective rooms since it was late night and Keith was no where.

"That's strange." Dan muttered and sighed, "Oh well,guess I should go back to Shun."

He followed the route to the ventus brawler and as he climbed up the stairs,he found Keith about to open the door.

"What the...what are you doing here?"

"Keith looked back at him,surprised, "I told you,I'll be back. I should be asking you the same question. If you're here,then who's with Shun?"

"Are you kidding me? You just contacted me and asked me to come to the lab because you had found the cure for Shun's sickness. I had no choice but to leave him alone for a while." Dan replied,exasperated.

"I didn't. You sure you weren't dreaming?" Keith was confused.

"Of course I was awake. How can you say you didn't when you appeared on my watch and told me to come?" Dan questioned.

"I...Well,the proof is that I had taken off my watch before setting up the oxygen mask for Shun. I'm not wearing it. It's in the room at the bed side table." Keith told the Pyrus brawler.

"Then who could it be...?" Dan glanced at Keith's empty wrist where he usually tied his watch.

"No idea. Let's go in. We'll think about it later." Keith turned the handle of the door knob and opened it carefully. Entering inside,he gasped loudly.

"What?!" Dan followed him in and muffled his high pitched voice, "What on earth is going on...? Where's Shun...?"

The room had no other door and just a single window which was open and winds were whistling through it.

"SHUN..." Dan went to the window and called out.

Keith was examining the bed and the dislocated mask, "He couldn't move by himself for two reasons,one,he was sick and frail,two,he was unconscious because I had sedated him myself...what happened here?"

He caught sight of a thin line on the floor going from bed to the window. Turning on the lights,he inspected it sharply and gaped.

It was a trail of blood.

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Wiseman laughed menacingly,riding one of his bakugans. There was a prone figure beside him. His raven hair were slightly damp by the sweat and he was extremely feverish,breathing deeply. His eyes were tightly closed and his pale white face had red tinges on the cheeks just below his sealed topaz orbs. The bakugan moved fastly and its quick pace brought them to a deserted volcanic barren island. The dry climate was unbearable for any living creature which dared to step in the mysterious territory.

"We're here,my dear Shun. I hope you'll enjoy your stay but that is...if you survive." He pulled the ventus brawler down mercilessly and and entered the cave. His bakugans surrounded him.

"Master...you're back."

"Did you find the boy sire?"

"Master always succeed,you fool."

"I wasn't talking to you,stupid."

"Oh yeah...I..."

"Shut up." Wiseman silenced them all in a loud voice, "I'll be busy for a while and I don't want a single sound from your side. Any disturbance...and you'll regret it."

The bakugans bowed and Wiseman left with the teen.

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"Where could he go?" Dan cried out.

"I don't know Dan. It doesn't seem like he escaped on his own." Keith breathed out. He was worried about his friend too.

"Oh Shun...please be safe." Dan pleaded to the winds to carry his message to his best friend where ever he was.

Keith ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed, "This is outrageous. I think some one took him by force?

"What? How? Why? Who?" Dan rained his questions.

"I've no idea Dan...believe me. My theory can be wrong too."

"But what if you're right?"

"Then we'll have to rescue Shun and hopefully,we wont be late." Keith saw him seriously.

"N-no...we'll save him. Shun is strong...he's a fighter...he wont die on me...he can't...He'll be okay." Dan spoke up frantically,racing his mind.

"Alright,let's think it out,do we have an enemy?" Keith finally came up with a thought.

"Hm...currently there's only one and that's Wiseman." Dan concluded.

"But why would he take Shun in this condition? I mean,Shun is sick,he can't really help Wiseman in any case." Keith wondered.

"Maybe he wants Shun for a purpose. Some thing,Shun possess that we don't have. Wiseman might want that." Dan guessed.

"Well,right now Shun has two things,a sickness and the ventus attribute!" Keith said lightly.

"That's it." Dan hit his fist on his other hand, "He wants Shun's attribute."

"Again?" Keith looked at him, "Wiseman sure knows Shun's stubbornness. Why can't he just leave him alone? Hadn't he had had enough last time...?"

"Maybe he wants a taste of it again."

"But we're not sure it's Wiseman who has taken Shun." Keith was staring at the crimson trail on the floor.

"Who else could it be?" Dan challenged.

"You're right...if Wiseman's after Shun again,we have to think of a plan and fast." Keith looked at Dan thoughtfully.

"Let's jump into action!" Dan stood and they shut the door,hurrying over to the laboratory to get Marucho's help.

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"That's right my dear Shun...give me all that you possess." Wiseman was standing in front of a machine. Many tubes were going into the machine and there ends...there ends were present inside the body of a sweating,feverish teen who was tied up to a pole,hands bound behind his back and head lowered tiredly due to the extraction that was going through him. His ankles were bound too and all in all,his chances to escape or resist were very slim next to none. His face was deathly pale as life slowly drained out of him,leaving him exhausted and making the red tinges below his eyes on the cheeks stark. The tubes were turning crimson due to the constant transfer of the blood from his body and into the machine. The cave was silent except for the labored breathing of the ventus brawler and the beeping of a machine which proved that the boy's heart was still beating,struggling to pump the much needed blood to fill up the deficiency.

Before taking blood that way,Wiseman had him suspended in a cylindrical pod and an oxygen mask was present on his pale white face to keep him alive. But that way was taking much more longer and Wiseman needed the cure...now. So now,the teen's condition was much worse than before as each drop of blood was sucked out of his recovering body cruelly. Wiseman showed no mercy.

In his dazed state,Shun could hear distant voices...voices of his memory as images flashed through his mind,playing the scenes from his past.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**From now on,we're best friends...right?" A brown haired boy was smiling brightly.**_

"_**Friends for life until the end of time." The topaz eyed boy answered.**_

"_**Best friends forever."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**_

"_**D-Dan...?"**_

"_**Shun,why did you do it? I...I didn't deserve all this. You didn't have to suffer for me."**_

"_**They...they would've beaten you."**_

"_**So what? You took all the pain for me."**_

"_**That's what friends do."**_

"_**Those bullies will pay. That's for sure. I'll teach them a lesson."**_

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"_**Come on Shun,tell me what's wrong?" **_

"_**Mom's sick." The shaking voice was followed by a sob, "She has no cure."**_

"_**Oh Shun...she'll be alright. Please don't cry."**_

"_**What if she leaves me alone? I...I have no where to go Dan."**_

"_**She wont...and don't say that,you'll always have me...I'll always stay by your side,I promise."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**_

"_**Whoa...where do you think you're going? Dude,get in the bed."**_

"_**I have to...I have to go there." The voice was panting.**_

"_**Go where buddy? You had a nervous break down when your mother...left two weeks ago. You're still recovering."**_

"_**To...to her...to the place where she's resting...please Dan,I have to go...I have to see her...I have to tell her what happened after..." The voice broke as crystalline drops left trails on the young face.**_

_**Sigh, "Come on,I'll support you."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,**_

"_**Shun,listen to me,do not lose hope. No matter what happens,don't give in. I know you want to sleep but please...stay with me."**_

_**On the road on a rainy day,a raven haired boy was present in his best friend's arms. Blood covered a few areas of his body and was visible beneath the fabric.**_

"_**Come on,open your eyes. You have to stay awake. I've called an ambulance. You're going to be alright. Don't give up...don't you die on me...Shun..."**_

"_**The...the car..."**_

"_**Don't talk buddy. A car just hit you!"**_

"_**Thanks for...the news!"**_

_**Ambulance's sirens could be heard far away...**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,**_

"_**Here..."**_

_**The head was lifted as the raven haired boy was handed a warm cup by his best friend.**_

"_**Do you need anything else?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Don't worry...You're alright now. You just got hypothermia because of training in the snow for a long period of time."**_

"_**Thanks Dan...for everything."**_

"_**Nah...that's what friends are for right?!"**_

"_**I guess..."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**_

"_**Your blade saved me from that snake...thanks buddy!"**_

"_**Don't thank me. Next time,be careful here."**_

"_**Did you learn all this from your grandfather Shun?"**_

"_**Well,he taught me the basics before dieing but I practiced hard to master them."**_

"_**Wow. That's nice. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two and then I could..."**_

"_**Dan..."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**_

"_**I repeat...join me Shun and I'll get you out of your misery."**_

"_**Never." The voice was hoarse.**_

"_**Oh really? But if only you could get me the data I need,I could make you my..."**_

"_**I'd rather die than betraying my friends."**_

"_**Aren't we angry...should I bring your precious friends here too?" The figure mocked.**_

"_**I damn care about your evil plans." The words cost him a hard slap. **_

"_**Very well...so be it."**_

_**,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,**_

**(A/N: In the last flashback,IT WAS NOT WISEMAN...it was some one not even I know!)**

The flood of memories halted abruptly as the last scene was played. Topaz eyes opened slowly and registered their surroundings. Even with the extremely high fever,Shun could still make out the blurry sight before him.

"So you're awake...enjoying your time?" Wiseman turned. A cruel smirk plastered on his face.

Shun stayed silent. He had to save his energy as much as he could.

"Soon I'll have all your blood and then...you'll die." Wiseman spoke as if he was giving a good news, "Too bad since your precious little friends will miss you."

He bent down to Shun's eye level. Topaz eyes pierced his soul hatefully, "Any last words,dear Shun?"

"Damn you...to hell." Shun's voice was cold as he tried to control his rage.

"Watch your tongue,boy." Wiseman's expression turned into fury.

"Make me." Shun spoke stonily. That earned him a snarl as Wiseman backhanded him mercilessly. Shun coughed and blood escaped his mouth,splattering onto Wiseman's arm in front. This wasn't intended but it was enough to enrage Wiseman and he placed his finger under the teen's chin,forcing his face up, "You've signed you death warrant...you know...I'll especially have fun killing you...and I assure you,I'll make your death as painful as possible..."

Shun gasped as hands wrapped around his neck and applied pressure. He tried to struggle and fight but in his condition,he couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. Wiseman tightened his grip cruelly as Shun choked. The world was turning black and his chest was tightening...blocking his respiration. The blood flow in the tubes increased and heart monitoring machine beeped loudly,signaling danger. A few minutes later,it's lines began to descend down...

"D-Da-n...", Was the last word that escaped his dry throat and then...topaz eyes sealed shut tightly and the body tensed before becoming lifeless...

_**AAAHHHHHHH! Please don't kill me! This chap was much longer than I thought and it turned out to be a cliffhanger in the end...an innocent little cliffhanger! ^^; Read and Review and Enjoy and Stay tuned for the next chapter! **_

_**FragrantRose signing out!:)**_


	9. The Unexpected

_**Hola peeps! Sorry for the late update! I was busy! Here is a really LONG chap of FTF. Read and enjoy and REVIEW!**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter Nine: The unexpected.**_

Dan blinked. Something inside of him had snapped. A strange feeling engulfed him as his mind seemed to be distracted of everything but his best friend. He closed his eyes and blocked out Keith's voice who was explaining the situation to Mira and Marucho. Shun's image appeared in his mind it wasn't pleasant. It was...painful. He heard a low voice in his head which echoed in his ears, "D-Da-n..."

"Shun..." Dan opened his eyes only to find everyone looking at him strangely, "What?"

"Um...are you alright?" Mira asked.

"Yeah..." Dan's shoulders sagged, "I thought I heard...never mind."

"Dan?" Marucho spoke up, "We know you're worried about..."

"I said I'm fine...forget about me." Dan told the aquos brawler defiantly.

"We'll find Shun,no matter what...we have to save him." Keith was reassuring or asking,no one tried to figure it out.

"We need a plan."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

And so,a plane was prepared for Dan and Keith to rescue the ventus brawler. They had gotten the location and now they were more than ready. But there was just one problem...the weather. Storms racked the whole building and it was extremely risky to fly in such atmosphere.

But today,after much convincing from Dan,they agreed to leave as it had been three days with Shun missing.

**(A/N:It's been three days since Shun's missing...Shun woke at second day and brawlers made plan that day and on third day,the brawlers fly...do I make sense? If yes,that's good and if not then...Grrr...!)**

And now,a plane was soaring through the vast sky with Keith in the pilot seat and Dan looking at the maps. It was a private jet so it was relatively small and was easy to handle.

At last,they finally reached the island and Keith looked down for a place to land the jet. It was all rocky and barren. He found a dry clearing and brought the machine down. As soon as the wheels touched the ground,Dan jumped off his seat. Determination evident in his voice as he spoke up, "Hang in there Shun...I'm coming."

Keith exited too and together,they set about finding the cave where their friend was present with their foe. They were following the signal coming from Shun's attribute. It seems as if the winds were guiding them too.

After covering the large distance,they finally came across the cave which was camouflaged by the rocks.

"This is it." Keith breathed out.

"Let's go..." Dan stepped forward.

The two brawlers entered the cave silently. It seemed to be broadening in front of them so they teared through the darkness and kept moving. They reached the base and looking across the lava,they caught sight of a gap. The two brawlers followed it and all of a sudden,a beep filled the air.

"Is that an alarm?" Keith whispered.

"I don't know..." Dan looked around for a place to hide but suddenly,a loud voice stopped him. It was an evil laugh...much too familiar for their ears. They tried to make out the words, "At last...I finally made the cure and most importantly... I got rid of the unbeatable ninja... Nothing can stop me now."

"Oh yeah..." Dan's fists clenched.

"Who does he think he is...let's go Dan." Keith slipped out of their hiding place. The next moment,they burst through the entrance to the room and...stopped dead in their tracks at the horrid sight...

Wiseman...standing in front of a weird machine,smirking evilly...and Shun...oh Shun...their friend sitting on the floor,his legs bent under him and ankles tied up...his hands twisted painfully to be tied firmly...his head lowered...stains of blood on his shirt...his visible skin deathly pale white...and most of all...a constant beep echoing in the room and a screen near the Ventus brawler showing a single,green line...

"Oh no...SHUN..." Dan rushed towards his best friend and knelt in front of him.

Wiseman seemed to be shocked, "You...how did you...what the..." He couldn't finish his sentence as Keith punched him square in the face. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall hard,causing the shelf on the wall to lose balance and crash down on him,the glass bottle breaking right on the top of his head. Satisfied by the thought that the enemy was probably knocked out by the impact,Keith quickly ran towards the two best friends.

Dan lifted Shun's head,looking at his face fearfully, "Shun...Shun wake up buddy...it's me Dan...I'm here now buddy...Shun...hey come on now...open your eyes..."

"Dan..." Keith was behind the pole,trying to untie the bind up teen, "Dan...he's flat lining..."

The panic in Keith's voice brought Dan back into the harsh reality. He placed a hand on Shun's neck,desperately searching for a pulse but to his horror,he found none. It was then,that he noticed his best friend wasn't breathing at all. Had he been too late to save him?

Just as Keith cut through the thick ropes,the unconscious teen heaved forward lifelessly,Dan catching him quickly as he lied him gently on the floor. Keith came to kneel beside him as he glanced at his wrists. The ventus brawler had struggled against the binding and as a result,his wrists were covered in scratched from the rough ropes. Keith placed a hand on his neck and applying a little pressure,he let his skilled fingers hit the teen's wind pipe to get him breathing. He repeated again and again but nothing happened.

Dan took his best friend's cold hand in his own as he gently stroked his cheek. His friend's serene face was pale white,almost deathly color-drained.

"Come on...why isn't it working..." Keith was getting frustrated as time went by. Every moment was important for the sake of his friend's life and he seemed to be failing miserably in his attempts to bring him back. Taking a deep breath,the darkus brawler remembered a crude form of CPR he had learned somewhere he now forgot the source of.

He pushed back Shun's jacket and unzipped his shirt,placing a hand gently on his chest where his heart was supposed to be.

"Okay,Dan listen..."

Dan lifted his head,his brown eyes shone with hope and fear for his best friend's life.

"I want you to keep check on Shun's pulse. Tell me the moment,you feel it." Keith instructed defiantly.

"What...what are you gonna do?" Dan whispered as if he didn't want to disturb his friend's peaceful eternal sleep.

"I'm going to use a hard method on him. Since we don't have any other choice,it has to work." The darkus brawler told him. Dan nodded.

Bending over the unconscious and supposedly-dead teen,Keith began to rub the spot where his heart was. Gradually,he increased the pressure and speed of his hands as his movements got desperate. He was sure it was going to work. But...a couple of minutes passed and nothing happened. Keith frantically tried his hardest to get his friend back to life. Dan constantly held the teen's cut up and bruised wrist in his hand,his fingers trembling slightly with every passing minute but still present on his pulse which at the moment...was none.

"Come on Shun...you've got to come back buddy...don't leave me yet..." The pyrus brawler kept calling in his mind.

And then...Keith increased his attempts and Dan's desperation got stronger...but nothing happened...

_**I saw so many things,**_

_**But like a dream,**_

_**Always losing me,**_

_**In a cloud...**_

"Dan..." Keith's voice quivered, "Dan,we've...lost him..."

Ice cold water had been dumped on Dan's head,freezing him mind,freezing his heart,freezing his soul,freezing his spirit,freezing the bond he had with Shun. He had been too late...

Eyes widened as all his hopes were shattered into nothingness,Dan shakily brought up the lifeless teen's cold hand up to his face,placing a gentle kiss on the back of his best friend's hand as he let all his emotions out. His brown eyes stung and within seconds,tears trailed down his face on the cold hand,which he half expected to tighten on his own...but...it didn't. Keith stood up with a tremble as he went to tie the knocked out Wiseman with the ropes he had removed from Shun. Dan gently lifted up Shun in his arms and hugged him in a tight embrace,his tears absorbing into raven hair. If Shun was...still with them,he would have blushed and pulled out...but unfortunately,there were no struggles...there was nothing but cold...and dread...and silence...

_**'Cause I couldn't cry,**_

_**'Cause it didn't rain,**_

_**Couldn't see the score,**_

_**Didn't know the pain,**_

_**Of leaving yesterday,**_

_**Really far behind,**_

_**In another life,**_

_**In another dream,**_

_**By a different name,**_

_**Gave it all away,**_

_**For a memory,**_

_**And a quiet lie,**_

_**And I felt the pain,**_

_**Of a cold tonight,**_

_**Still don't know the score,**_

_**But I know the pain,**_

_**Of leaving everything,**_

_**Really far behind...**_

"Shun...I'm so sorry..." Dan finally spoke up,still hugging his best friend close to his heart, "I...I tried so hard but now...here I am...saying all this to you when you can't even answer me..." He sobbed. Keith had tied up their enemy and was keeping an eye on him,giving the two friends some privacy to break down.

"Shun...it hurts...it hurts to see you like this...But I promise buddy...Shun I promise to avenge your death. You haven't sacrificed yourself in vain buddy. I promise to kill the person who has done this to you...I promise..."

A sudden voice from the past echoed in Dan's mind.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**You know what Dan...I'm sick and tired of all this." The voice was harsh, "I'm tired of all these promises...I don't need them...Every time something happens,all you say is that you promise...Promises are not enough to live and dwell upon..."**_

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Dan laughed bitterly, "You were right Shun...I always make promises but then...I forget them. You were right...promises are not enough...You can't live on them...but you..." His voice turned into pleading,trying to reason, "You can at least keep hope,right? You can hope for better...you can't...you can't give up...right? Shun...? Please come back..." Something blocked his throat and he sobbed heart-brokenly, "I...I can't live without you...please...you have to come back...come back Shun...SHUN..."

With a desperate cry,Dan shook the lifeless teen roughly, "COME BACK SHUN...PLEASE..."

"Dan..." Keith quickly came forward,trying to stop him from sinking into depression and stop reacting so hard over the unexpected death. A slight cough reached his ears and he looked down at Shun but found him in the same condition. Wiseman was the source of that noise,signaling that he was waking up. Keith's shoulders slumped as the sudden spark of hope died down. He turned back to the two best friends...his eyes down-cast, "I'm so sorry,I couldn't save him..."

Dan looked up,tears blurring his vision in a mingle of colors, "You...you tried...I know...I tried too...I tried,didn't I...? I really did..." He couldn't think straight...his thoughts going back to his best friend's lifeless form in his arms, "You've gotta come back buddy...you can't leave...not like this..." He shook the prone figure again,this time harder, "PLEASE COME BACK...SHUN..."

All of a sudden,Wiseman spoke up, "He wont come back...I killed him..." But his voice was cut off by a beep.

"Huh...? What was that?" Keith wiped away his tears and glanced at the heart monitor. It showed a flat line and a constant beep echoed.

Dan tightened his embrace around his best friend and the beep occurred again.

"What's going on..." Keith looked at the flat line of the machine again. It was just like before. Was he having illusions?

Dan closed his eyes for a brief moment when nothing happened. Not realizing what he was doing,he gently lied the teen down and leaning over his serene face,he whispered, "Fare well Shun...good bye buddy...I'll miss you..." Forcing his tears back and swallowing to clear his voice,he placed a gentle kiss on his best friend's cold fore head...not for romance but for comfort.

And then...three beeps echoed...

Keith jerked his head at the new sound and his eyes widened as he saw the rise in the flat green line with his own two eyes. It dropped again and he almost lost his balance as he knelt on the floor beside Shun. Dan was stroking his hair as if lulling him into a deeper sleep.

"Dan..." Keith's voice held an urgency, "Dan,his heart...it..." He fumbled with the words trying to convey his point, "Dan...he's...he's...really..."

"What?" Dan's voice was barely audible, "He's gone Keith..."

"NO..." Keith almost yelled, "No Dan...I just saw his heart beat...it...it's really..."

Leaving his phrase,he quickly began to repeat his method,hitting the lifeless teen's wind pipe and rubbing his chest right over his heart. Dan hopelessly placed his fingers on the teen's pulse.

And then...

There echoed another loud beep and dropped before another beep occurred...but then...it flat-lined again.

"No...come on...you can do this...come on Shun..." Keith breathed out,increasing his attempts.

Three more beeps echoed and then dropped.

That gave Dan a flame of hope, "Come on Shun... SHUN..."

There was a loud beep and then...irregular beeps followed the lead. The continuous beeps were not normal. The rate was faster than usual and higher than average.

"Shun?" Dan gripped his hand in his own as his eyes widened at the unexpected miracle, "Shun...you're back..."

Keith hit the respiratory system once more and Shun took a sudden deep breath,choking. Keith quickly managed to stabilize his breathing to the best extent and then...

Topaz eyes opened slowly to meet brown ones as a hoarse whisper escaped, "Dan...?" making Dan gasp.

_***Yawn* there ya go,the ninth installment of FTF. I enjoyed writing the end and hope I didn't took your breath while reading! ^^ until next time! Stay tuned for the next chappie!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! :)**_


	10. The Deal

_**Hey peeps! Tenth chappie of my lovely fic. Ya know what,this fic is giving me a hard time. I write the chapters like three or four times and have to erase them just because they drop off the standard of my writings. Should I really continue? **_

_**My heartiest gratitude from the bottom of my soul to all the reviewers,likers,followers and alerters of this fic! **_

_**SPECIAL NOTE: I forgot to mention in my previous chapter,the lyrics I used are of 'Heaven's not enough' by Steve Conte. They might be a bit wrong but I was listening to that song while writing so I put 'em in! :) **_

_**ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE: I happen to realize that I haven't bothered to place a DISCLAIMER in my chapters! ^^ I can't believe it! What if my story gets banned or deleted? my whole career would be lost! let's put it in here then...**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own bakugan or the lyrics of the last chapter! :(**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 10: The Deal.**_

_Topaz eyes opened slowly to meet brown ones as a hoarse whisper escaped, "Dan...?" making Dan gasp._

Dan felt his eyes widening a fraction,the moment he heard his name in the barely audible voice. He looked down at the figure in his arms, "Shun...you're...you're alive..."

Shock was soon replaced by surprise and then...happiness. The Pyrus brawler was filled with joy at the sight and Keith sighed in relief before offering a smile, "Welcome back Shun."

Shun wearily looked up at his two friends and before he knew,he was practically being suffocated by a tight hug by Dan who spoke in a low voice, "I thought I lost you buddy...don't ever do that to me again...you scared me to death back there!"

"What...happened?" Shun managed to breath out as Dan tightened his hold,afraid to let go.

"Well,you almost got killed by that freak called Wiseman...but we saved you!" Dan filled him in.

Keith glanced at Shun's confused expressions, "We managed to find you by the signal of your attribute and then here,we tied up Wiseman and um...I don't know how but we brought you back to life." Keith explained.

"I think it was because of out bond." Dan spoke up thoughtfully.

Shun nodded and Keith looked at the tubes going through his wrists and arms, "What are these tubes doing inside you?" Without waiting,he took Shun's arm as Dan pulled back and began to pull them out gently. Shun winced as the needles,stabbed into his veins were extracted like that but said nothing.

"What were they for buddy?" Dan asked as Shun rubbed his wrist.

"He was draining my blood for the cure." There was a hint of anger in Shun's voice as he glared in Wiseman's direction.

"Now that I remember,how're you feeling?" Dan placed a hand on Shun's forehead which was warming up.

"I'm fine."

"But his sickness will return because I have created it..." Wiseman's venomous voice reached their ears and they turned around,having completely forgotten his presence.

"What do you mean?" Dan narrowed his eyes.

"I mean that unless he gets the cure,he'll remain sick and then...die because I wont be giving him the cure. Only I can make it." Wiseman smirked cruelly.

Shun felt his head pounding as Keith finally got all the wires out and coughed slightly, "I don't care."

"However," Wiseman continued, "I might consider giving you the cure if...he asks me nicely."

"What are you playing at?" Dan snapped.

"I'll never beg." Shun coughed again,this time feeling a metallic taste in his mouth as well.

"Oh but you will. When your whole body will writhe in pain,then you'll beg,my dear Shun..." Wiseman grinned evilly.

"I'd rather die than begging for your mercy." Shun looked at him hatefully.

"So be it." Wiseman appeared carefree.

"Cut it out already and tell us where the damn cure is..." Dan finally became impatient.

"I can't tell you until Shun asks me personally." Wiseman seemed to be amused.

"Shun..." Keith looked at Shun worriedly. The ventus brawler looked sick. He coughed every now and then and had a splitting headache. The red tinges were appearing on his pale cheeks again which were the symptoms of fever.

"I wont." Shun's eyes were filled with determination. He bit back a whimper as a wave of pain assaulted his body.

"I had added a special chemical of mine in your body just to see how it works." Wiseman seemed to be proud of himself, "And it seems to be working great."

"A chemical..." Keith carefully observed the sick teen. His eyes were showing pain.

"What...? How could you? What do you want?" Dan became furious.

"I just wanted the destruction of bakugan battle brawlers." Wiseman smirked.

"Where is the cure?" Dan grabbed Wiseman by collar and repeated his question, "I swear if anything happens to Shun,I'll kill you."

"Really?" The smirk was constantly plastered on the face.

Dan wanted to punch him but was stopped by a monotonous voice, "Stop Dan,he's not worth it."

Dan looked back at Shun,his anger replaced by worry as the teen before him coughed and he saw a few drops of crimson escape him. The Pyrus brawler left the evil figure and went to sit beside his best friend who was sweating and shaking slightly, "Shun...hang in there buddy. I'll get the cure for you even if I have to jump into the lava."

Shun let the ghost of a smile appear on his face as he whispered, "Thanks but I'm not worth it." _**(cough cough...KKtheNeko?!)**_

"Shun..." Dan was about to say something but was cut off by Shun standing up and walking over to Wiseman unsteadily. The man cowered under Shun's glazed topaz eyes which seemed to be piercing his soul.

"What do you want?" Wiseman spat out.

"A deal." Came the reply.

"What deal?"

"If you hand over the cure,I will give you the share as well."

"What share?"

"I know why you took my blood Wiseman. I'm not blind. I know you've fallen in your own trap." Shun's glare intensified.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wiseman snickered, "Maybe your sickness has affected your mind."

"You know it very well what I mean. You have five minutes to think." With this Shun returned to where his friends were present and with an exhausted sigh,he let his body fall on the ground beside them. They other two cast worried glances at him.

"I'm fine." The ventus brawler murmured.

"Yeah right." Keith chuckled lightly, "We can see that."

"Just give me some time." Shun closed his eyes and leaned against the wall for support.

Meanwhile,Wiseman thought about all the pros and cons before reaching his decision, "I accept your offer."

Shun grimaced as another wave of pain hit him but managed to hear the words, "Fine."

Taking out his kunai he stumbled over to the bounded man before Dan stopped him, "Hey wait...how do we know we can trust him?"

Shun stopped before walking again. Standing in front of Wiseman,he finally spoke up, "So where is it?"

"Free me first."

"Tell me first."

"Like hell,I'd let that happen."

"You seem to be forgetting that you need the cure too."

"So you're blackmailing me?"

"I'm just reminding you that I can leave without freeing you and pretend like nothing happened."

"You seem to be good at the game of words."

"I'm more better at keeping my word." Shun's voice became cold, "And I keep my word that I'll let you have the cure too if you hand it over."

"Very well then." Wiseman pointed to the machine. Shun went for it when a sudden jab of pain stopped him and he coughed. Dan quickly came to support the sick teen while Keith went for the machine.

"Just take it easy buddy." Dan forced his best friend to sit down.

"It requires a code." Keith frowned at the machine and turned to Wiseman, "What's the code?"

Wiseman spoke out the code in a sarcastic tone. Keith entered it and the machine vibrated before a small compartment opened in it's side to reveal a small bottle...a tiny little glass bottle filled with something silver like mercury.

"Is this...it?" Keith examined the vessel closely.

"Yeah. Now untie me."

Shun stood on shaky feet and stumbled over to Wiseman. He was supposed to keep his word and not back out. Dan watched with concern as his best friend pulled out a kunai and using the sharp blade,grazed through the ropes in a single swift move. Wiseman stood and offered the brawlers his trademark evil grin.

"Now...where is my share?" He looked at the three teens expectantly.

Picking up another small container,Shun took the tiny bottle from Keith without a word and poured half of it in the vessel before holding it out to Wiseman who accepted it with an ironic smirk.

"We should leave." Keith finally spoke up.

"Yeah,come on,let's go." Dan looked at Shun who was having a glaring contest with Wiseman, "Shun?"

Shun blinked. He had an odd feeling as if something was very wrong. Nodding,he went over to his waiting friends when Wiseman spoke up, "Good bye brawlers...for good."

Surprised,the teens prepared to leave. Boarding the small plane outside,they readied themselves for the flight. Keith took over the role of pilot while Dan went to put the cure with the rest of their luggage. Shun collapsed on the seat,exhausted. After having a drink of water,he began to ponder over the events. He was still suspicious as to how did Wiseman let the go so easily.

Keith's voice appeared in the loudspeaker, "Guys,I think I can see something. It's coming towards us."

"What?" Dan stood up to check out and went to the cockpit,Shun following behind. There indeed was a shadow of a huge figure in the air,reaching the plane.

"What is that thing?" The Pyrus brawler wondered outloud. All of a sudden,the small jet plane jerked violently,sending Shun to crash in the wall behind and Dan slamming right into him.

"Whoa...sorry buddy." Dan helped the sick teen to get up who was gritting his teeth in pain.

Another jerk occurred as Keith attempted to dodge whatever had been shot towards the shaking plane.

"What's going on?" Dan yelled as he supported his best friend up from the floor.

"Some one is attacking us." Keith shouted back, "Hold on tight."

The plane shook violently as a foreign substance contacted its outer surface and Keith yelled, "The plane's hit...we have to escape...NOW..."

"What the..." Dan looked around in a panic.

Shun walked over to the controls, "Keith,go get the luggage with Dan,I'll fly it."

Keith nodded, "Be careful. Some controls might not work."

So Keith and Shun switched places as the Darkus brawler quickly began to help Dan,gather their supplies.

Shun tried his best to control the plane but most of the controls were giving out sparks and were damaged badly. The teen dodged a few blasts but then...a figure appeared right in front of the wind shield screen and it's owner smirked evilly, "Did you honestly think that I'd let you leave like this?"

"Wiseman..." Shun couldn't say anything else as a bright light nearly blinded him and then...

An explosion echoed and a scream was heard before everything went black.

_**Ugh...finally. OMG! Is that a cliffie? Yay for me! GO ME! *Cheers* Read and enjoy and review peeps! Stay tuned for the next chappie!**_

_**FragrantRose signing out! :)**_

_**Until next time!**_


	11. Stranded Hopes

_**I'M ALIVE! Sorry for the long wait peeps but I had...business to attend to. Plus my laptop was acting silly and deleted this chapter like three times and I had to write it all over again!**_

_**Thanks to all my reviewers and likers! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 11: Stranded Hopes.**_

There was a thick odor of smoke and fuel oil in the air. As brown eyes opened slowly and scanned around,they registered a huge figure some distance away. The brown haired teen gasped at the sudden rush of memories and sat up quickly,holding his head.

_A menacing laugh...then an explosion...a scream...smell of petroleum...and blacking out..._

He took a deep breath and coughed a bit due to the smoke and then looked around. Another form was present beside him,slowly waking up. A shock of blond hair rose as their owner groaned.

"Keith?"

"Dan...what...happened?"

"We crashed. Are you alright?"

"I think so." Keith stretched his arms and looked at the smoldering figure of what was left of jet plane before glancing around, "Where's Shun?"

Dan realized the absence too and stood up quickly before calling, "Shun..."

Keith began to gather the supplies they had managed to retrieve from the falling plane and analyzed the damage of his own body. He could feel some pain in his left shoulder and right knee but it wasn't anything major to be taken care of soon. Looking over at the Pyrus brawler,he was sure for him to be fine...mainly because they hadn't fallen from too much height and he seemed alright except for a split lip and few scratches on his exposed skin.

Dan walked over to the cockpit fearfully. The tale had caught fire but the cockpit was filled with smoke and the glass of wind shield was broken. Dan cautiously peered inside the small cabin and gasped at the sight. His best friend was motionless in his seat thanks to the seat belt. His hands were still present on gears and levers,clutching them for dear life. He was unconscious.

Dan gently pulled him out of the seat and brought him outside to examine. He jumped off the now steaming engines quickly to avoid the fire. The brunette landed on the opposite side and lied down his best friend in a way that his chest supported the raven haired head. He could feel the labored breathing of the unconscious teen and the slight shudder it caused. And then,right in front of his eyes,the damaged machine caught fire and soon,the flames licked at all it's metallic body,rising to the sky. In a couple of minutes,the flames died down when the fuel finished. Keith called from the other side fearfully, "Dan...?"

"I'm alright." Dan called back, "And Shun's with me too."

He looked down as Shun coughed weakly and saw a red stain appearing on his shirt and jacket over his chest. Dan hoisted his best friend up carefully and crossed the ashes going over to the Darkus brawler. He lied the teen down gently before looking at the remainders of plane one last time. Keith came over with a slight limp and sitting beside the two best friends,he bent over Shun. The stain had now became brighter and more visible. He unzipped Shun's shirt to have a look. What he saw terrified him. A long shard of glass had embedded itself into the teen's chest,barely missing his heart by inches. Dan looked over it as well and gasped in horror.

Taking a deep breath,Keith braced himself and looked down, "Shun...? Are you awake?"

He was replied by a low groan and a deep breath,followed by a hiss of pain. He looked up at Dan, "I'm gonna pull it out."

Dan nodded as he tried to calm himself.

"And..." Keith hesitated, "It's going to hurt..."

"I know." Dan whispered, "Just do it. We have to take it out before it causes some serious damage to him."

And so,in one swift movement,Keith pulled the long blade out,earning a whimper of pain as Shun winced and shifted uncomfortably. Topaz eyes snapped open for a brief moment. Everything was spinning rapidly...turning into a blur of colors which grew darker until he couldn't see anything but black. Throwing away the blood stained glass,Keith sighed and looked at the sky before stopping the bleeding.

"Now what?" Dan muttered under his breath. Drago opened on his shoulder and Dan glanced at his bakugan.

"It's getting late,we gotta find a shelter." Keith replied.

"I can feel a strange force around...it isn't allowing me to transform." Drago analyzed.

"Okay...let's go." Dan stood.

Keith opened the small first aid box to make sure,Shun's cure was still present in it. A low groan was heard and he turned towards Dan who was looking down with wide eyes, "Shun...you're awake buddy."

"Huh?" Keith followed his gaze only to find topaz eyes glazed but opened nonetheless.

"How're you feeling?" Dan peered into Shun's glassy eyes.

"I'm...fine." Shun blinked and tried to sit up but a sharp pain in his chest stopped him and his hand flew up to his heart.

"Yeah right." Keith rolled his eyes as Dan helped the teen to at least sit up right.

"We should move now. Can you walk?" Dan asked his best friend earning a nod as Shun attempted to stand. With a low "ow..." he collapsed back down and Dan quickly supported him.

Keith stood and held out his hand for the Ventus brawler who reluctantly accepted it to stand. Once he was on his feet again,the teen swayed dangerously and Keith grabbed his arm to steady him until he regained his balance. The Darkus brawler picked up the articles which consisted of three water bottles,first aid box,some maps and a few packets of snacks. He ignored the slight pain I nhis body and began to walk. Shun stumbled after him and Dan followed the two of them.

"How much longer?" Dan grumbled after about half an hour of walking, "I'm hungry."

"I don't know. We've got to find a cave or something around here." Keith replied.

Shun took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as a wave of pain and dizziness hit him like a glacier and he coughed before Dan ran into him,whining about something.

"Oops...sorry buddy...didn't see you." Dan apologized as Shun grimaced, "Shun?"

"Never mind." Shun replied with much more difficulty than he had thought.

"What's wrong? You okay buddy?" Dan placed his hand on the teen's forehead, "You've still got that damn fever."

Shun turned to walk again,struggling to ignore the pain,weakness and the metallic taste in his mouth. His legs shook under him as the teen forced himself to move,pushing his body to the limits without concerning about his life.

Dan looked at his best friend worriedly before sighing and following,staying a little back from the ventus brawler just in case the teen collapse or faint due to so much exertion which was not good in his condition. It only made him worse. Keith glanced back a couple of times too as the went ahead in search of a shelter to spend the night. There was calm and quiet everywhere.

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"Huh?" Marucho looked at the screen in front. There was a radar present with a few blue spots.

"What's wrong Marucho?" Mira asked as she entered the room.

"We've lost the signal of my plane." The aquous brawler replied.

"What? How's that possible?" Mira quickly came forward to have a look.

"I don't know. There are no blue prints anywhere. No track of them." Marucho worriedly typed on the keyboard and a few maps appeared.

"Do you think they...crashed?" Mira asked hesitantly.

"I'm afraid so." Marucho tapped his glasses, "Why else would we lose their signal?"

"Oh no..." Mira gaped at the images in her mind...

Dan...laughing at her for no particular reason...

Her brother...Keith comforting her when she was sad...

Shun...blushing when she hugged him and glaring at Dan...

Her friends...were gone...

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"Finally..." Dan muttered as they caught sight of a small cave not much far ahead.

Keith nodded before taking a cautious step forward just in case some creature decided to show up to claim the cave as its habitat. Shun panted and his knees buckled under him as a coughing fit engulfed his respiration and he got on all fours,coughing and struggling to breathe properly. Dan knelt beside him and rubbed his back soothingly. Keith inspected the cave and came back with a relieved expression, "It's safe to stay here for night." The darkus brawler announced before throwing a worried glance towards the sick teen.

Shun stood on shaky legs as Dan supported him up. His whole body seemed to be on fire. Sweating excessively,he tried to regain balance but his fever prevented him from doing so. In his front were two Keiths,two caves,a moving sky,echoing voice of Dan,slope of plain ground and brightly contrasting spots! How could that be called normal?!

After an eternity,,they were finally able to settle in the cave. It was small but comfortable. Shun leaned against a wall for support as he sat on the hard ground. Dan and Keith began to set up the supplies.

"Why can't we give him the cure?" Dan asked again as Keith secured the small bottle in the first aid box.

"Do you actually trust Wiseman to create the cure for Shun?" Keith glanced at him then at Shun whose eyes were closed and he was sweating and shaking slightly.

"Well...no but...what do we do then?" Dan followed his gaze before standing up and went to sit beside his best friend, "Shun?"

"..." Topaz eyes opened slowly to look at him.

"Are you okay?" Knowing that his question was dumb,Dan still asked it.

Shun nodded slightly, "Cold..."

His hoarse voice clenched Dan's heart as he placed a hand on his friend's forehead again, "You're burning up...and you say you're cold?"

Shun nodded again and took a deep breathe. His shaking was visible now. Dan sighed before taking off his jacket and offering it to the teen, "Here..."

Shun looked at him gratefully,silently thanking him before he tried to take in the warmth of his friend's jacket. All of a sudden,he felt extremely nauseous and his chest tightened. The teen coughed but to no avail as the nausea got worse.

Dan quickly bent forward to support his best friend as he heaved with no result. Holding his hair back,Dan realized with extreme worry that his best friend was coughing up blood. Keith was sitting opposite him,patting Shun's back gently as he threw up blood. After a good ten minutes of expelling blood,the teen coughed weakly as pain racked his whole body. The world was spinning as he welcomed the darkness which crept over to embrace the ventus brawler.

Dan dabbed the small towel in water as he placed it on his best friend's burning forehead again. They had been here for quite a few hours now and after guarding the first two hours,Keith had slept now and it was Dan's turn to watch.

The Pyrus brawler brushed back the loose strands of raven hair from his friend's pale white face. He was embarrassed to admit it but he was scared for the life of his best friend. He wanted to help him but it seemed as if the fate was against them.

Shun shifted uncomfortably at the cold touch of damp cloth but Dan kept it in place,looking sadly at the teen and muttering a 'sorry'. They were so close to escape this darkness but now...they were once again being tested.

"Hang in there buddy...I'll get you out of here no matter what happens...I wont let you die like this..." Dan whispered to the unconscious teen...his brown eyes filled with determination. Shun sighed in his deep sleep but other than that,remained unresponsive. A shooting star somewhere listened this whisper and looked down at the two best friends before choosing to ignore them and went away.

As Dan stood to go and wake Keith for his turn,he didn't hear the quiet and barely audible whisper of his best friend as a single word escaped in hoarse voice, "I-'m...so-r-ry."

_**There ya go! now be good and get me some reviews! Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!**_

_**Rose out! :)**_


	12. Falling inside the Black

_**Hola Amigos! Okay okay,I know,a really long time for the update but...I was busy,that's all. Next chapter will be the last and final blow...final nail to be hammered in the story! **_

_**Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 12: Falling inside the Black.**_

"_...He's so...hasn't woken..._._can feel it...I thought...but the cure...it's not...don't know...how much more...we have to...gotta get out of here...No way...wont let him die...so easily...But there's still...I don't care...I will...can't spare much time...he's burning...the fever...he's dehydrated...water...needs rest...we have to wait...wakes up..." _Shun could hear parts of conversation as his clouded mind began to register the realm of reality. He tried to open his eyes but they felt heavy,so he decided against it and remained as he was,thinking. He could feel the hard ground under him but below his head was something different. He took a deep breath and instantly felt a presence beside him as a familiar voice spoke up, "Shun...? You awake buddy?"

The teen tried to open his eyes again and succeeded,managing to reveal his topaz orbs. Dan sighed in relief before looking down at his best friend, "Hey buddy...how're you feeling?"

Shun tiredly looked up into the brown eyes staring at him as his best friend leaned over him, "Fine." He frowned at hearing his own voice so hoarse, "What...happened?" He glanced at Dan.

"Well...then plane crashed and..."

"I know that." Shun cut him off,some what annoyed.

Dan smiled sheepishly, "Okay okay...sorry...I was just refreshing your memory. Well,you fainted after throwing up,that's all."

Shun nodded and looked at the cackling fire. Dan placed a hand on his forehead, "You've still got quite the fever."

Keith looked at the ventus brawler after throwing a twig in the fire, "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Shun shook his head. He could feel his eyes closing again. Dan noticed that too and smiled, "Go back to sleep buddy."

The sick teen fought the urge to close his eyes and gazed up tiredly at Dan's face,specifically his eyes. The Pyrus brawler smiled warmly at him, "Just close your eyes and get some sleep."

"No...can't." He couldn't complete his sentence as his eyes closed again. But after a second,he opened them again,blinking slowly. He could feel a gloved hand brush through his hair softly and Dan's voice telling him to sleep. He didn't want to sleep yet. His nightmares plagued his mind.

Dan gently stroked his best friend's cheek and hair as he saw him fighting to stay awake. In a sense,it was amusing to hypnotize his best friend to the realm of sleep. He gently placed his hand on Shun's eyes and when he lifted it after a couple of minutes,sleep had taken over his best friend. He smiled and went to sit beside Keith by the fire.

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Shun slept throughout the most part of day. It was night when Keith looked outside. Dark clouds had taken over the peaceful sky predicting to bring heavy rain as they thundered furiously.

A sudden whimper of pain gripped his heart and he swiftly turned around only to see Dan approaching Shun's prone but now shaking figure worriedly. Bending over his best friend,Dan grabbed him by his shoulders,trying to wake him up.

Keith approached the two as Dan shook his best friend gently, "Shun...hey come on now...wake up...it's just a dream..."

The sick teen was breathing heavily,his face showing pain. Dan placed a hand on his forehead,stroking back his hair and looking at him worriedly before turning towards Keith, "He's burning again."

"At this point...I'm at a loss to what to do." The darkus brawler shook his head.

"Why can't we just give him the cure?" Dan gritted his teeth,grabbing the unconscious teen's pale hand.

"We have to add it in his blood stream directly Dan. He can't just gulp it down like a drink now,can he..." Keith told the Pyrus brawler.

"But he's getting worse and...I'm scared for him." Dan admitted in a low voice.

"I know but we have to wait and find a way of getting out of here." Keith placed a hand on his shoulder, "He's gonna be okay...he's a fighter..."

Dan nodded,swallowing. He looked down as Shun's breathe hitched. He gently stroked his cheek in an attempt to soothe his pain and comfort the sick teen. The ventus brawler was gritting his teeth as pain engulfed his whole form. Opening his eyes a fraction he panicked as his breath kept hitching. He tried to take a deep breathe and to his terror,no air reached his lungs. Choking,he coughed and hacked forcefully,managing to wheeze out, "...brea...th...ca...n't..."

Keith rushed towards him from his spot by the fire as Dan held his best friend by his shoulders,shifting him on his side. After a few minutes of coughing dryly,all of a sudden,crimson tainted the ground below and Dan realized that his best friend was throwing up blood again.

Worry etched on his features,Keith patted his arm which was facing up as Shun tensed in pain. In a couple of minutes,his condition got worse as his breathing began to slow down. Occasionally,he shuddered but the rise and fall of his chest got heavier and slower than normal.

"Shun...NO..." Dan called to his best friend in sheer terror as a ghost of a smile appeared on his pale face and his eyes began to close.

"What the..." Keith checked for the Ventus brawler's heartbeat, "Oh no..."

"What? What's going on? Is he okay?" Dan was startled.

Shaking his head,Keith shook the unconscious teen roughly, "Shun...Shun? Come on,open your eyes,stay awake."

But...Shun's eyes were shut tight in pain and he was barely breathing.

"His pulse is dropping." Keith looked at Dan.

Dan's eyes widened. They were so close to escape and now...his best friend was suffering once again. "That does it." Dan stood up and told Keith to get their supplies, "We're leaving, we can't stay here. He'll die like this and I'm not going to let that happen."

With a determined look in his brown eyes,Dan gently hoisted Shun up off the ground before exiting the cave. Keith followed him silently and watched as the Pyrus brawler called forth his guardian bakugan, "Pyrus Fusion Dragonoid...Stand."

With a roar,the mighty fire dragon rose and looked down at the three brawlers. At Dan's command,he lowered his hand in front of his master and Dan gently lied his best friend on it before climbing up Drago's back. His bakugan lifted his hand up in the air and Dan pulled Shun in his arms. Keith gave the articles he was carrying to Drago before climbing up beside his friends as well. Drago rose in the air,spreading out his wings for the flight.

The darkus brawler looked at his side to find Dan clutching his best friend close to his chest. Shun's face was pale with the exception of red taints on his cheeks below his sealed eyes. He was barely breathing now and was sweating. In a sense,he seemed almost lifeless had it not been the heavy rise and fall of his chest or the occasional shudder.

Keith looked up at Dan somewhat startled as a crystalline drop fell over Shun's hair, "Dan..."

The Pyrus brawler rubbed his eyes with a free hand before cradling his best friend close, "He's gonna be okay." The defiant voice was shaking with emotions as Dan looked at Keith, "He'll be fine. I wont let him die." His eyes were burning with determination.

"Yeah...I hope so." Keith lowered his gaze, "Where are we going?"

"I can see something bright up ahead. I think it's the eye of this place." Drago growled, "It connects dimension to this place. If we reach it in time,we might be able to go back."

"Full speed Drago." Dan yelled out to his bakugan who complied.

Shun coughed weakly and struggled to breathe. Keith rubbed his chest softly to ease the pain and felt for his heartbeat. It was irregular and slower than before. With the help of Dan,he managed to get some water into the unconscious teen's system as he was severly dehydrated. Shun's fists clenched in pain and Dan hugged him,trying his hardest to comfort the sick teen and not to cry. Stroking back his raven hair,he realized that his fever had crossed the limits.

Shun shivered and Dan wrapped his jacket around his best friend's shoulders. He was definitely not going to let him end right here and right now. No way...

Now and then,Keith checked the ventus brawler's pulse to make sure he wasn't slipping. The sickness had contemplated the essence of his very being,draining his life. Drago moved his large wings faster as he quickened his pace. The three teens riding him had bizarre thoughts going through their heads.

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He could feel the winds swishing through his raven hair as he willed his topaz orbs to open but for some reason,they didn't obey the silent orders of his mind. It was as if his mind was detached from the rest of his body. He tried to look around the realm of nothingness that had surrounded him. It was dark and quiet. So dark that he couldn't even see himself and so quiet that he could hear his heart pounding inside his rib-cage.

_**Falling in the black,**_

_**Slipping from the grasp,**_

_**Falling to the depths,**_

_**Can I ever come back,**_

He desperately tried to voice out the words forming in his mind, "Dan...Keith...Ingram...Skyress...Some one...any one..."

He looked about himself as his cheeks began to get washed by the pain which escaped his eyes in the form of tears. He could hear voices...

"_He's gonna be okay..." _The defiant voice was shaking with emotions,_ "He'll be fine...I wont let him die..."_

This was a very familiar sound...a voice which ignited a spark some where deep withing him...telling him to go on...telling him to stay strong...giving him the courage to fight...

He tried to take a deep breathe but felt like sinking into the darkness. It was welcoming but he couldn't stay. Voices told him to hang in there and bear the pain. And so...he struggled against the invisible hold,trying his hardest to get rid of the over-whelming feeling of being embraced by death.

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Dan looked down as he felt some movement in his arms. He gazed at the sick teen in his arms who was unconscious but seemed to be hanging on by a thread...even if it was a weak,thin thread...he wasn't giving up. His breathing was shallow but he was trying to keep it steady. Even if he was burning with high fever,it wasn't stopping him from losing his senses.

"Shun..." Dan gently shifted his best friend,readjusting his grip.

He received no reply but he was sure his friend had heard him. He tightened his hold, "Just hang on buddy...don't worry...you're gonna be alright..."

He felt the teen relax a bit in his arms and smiled sadly at him. This was going to be long ride.

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At last,they finally made it to the spectrum eye after an eternity. Drago looked around, "We just need to figure out the right dimension to step into."

There were many portals present there once they entered the eye. Dan clutched the sick and frail boy closer as they looked at the series of portals.

"That one..." Keith pointed as he saw the images of their building flashing through a portal. Taking a deep breath,they braced themselves for the impact and allowed the portal to swallow them. Going ahead and ahead,the finally caught glimpse of the familiar place before them. Drago landed on the grassy ground forward with a growl.

Dan panted, "Thanks Drago..." He let the bakugan return to its ball form.

"I can't believe we made it." Keith rubbed his head.

"Yeah and now...SHUN..."

Keith was startled as Dan left his sentence incomplete before yelling the name of prone form in his arms. Looking at the two,he realized the dreadful fact of harsh reality...

Shun wasn't breathing at all.


	13. The Essence of Life

_**This one came quicker! FINAL CHAPPIE PEEPS...REVIEW PLEASE! :)**_

_**Fighting the Fate.**_

_**Chapter 13: The Essence of Life.**_

Every one was sitting in the lounge. Their expressions grave. Keith was hugging Mira who was crying. Marucho had hidden his face in his hands. Dan was holding his head,trying to take in what had happened after their return to the real world. He tried to blink away the tears which threatened to fall from his brown eyes. He couldn't stand it. He had left the room where his best friend rested peacefully now. He couldn't watch him like that. The Pyrus brawler couldn't believe what had happened to his best friend. It was...impossible.

"He died...even after we had tried to save him...even when Shun..." Keith sighed.

"Shun..." Mira whispered quietly...her voice muffled by Keith's jacket. Keith had pursed his lips. His eyes moistening every now and then.

"I still don't understand how did it happen...I mean...after..." Marucho trailed off.

"I don't know that either Marucho." Keith glanced at the shorter brawler before looking at Dan, "Dan?"

"I'm...I'm alright...never mind me..." Dan felt his throat getting dry. He felt as if he was going numb...the shock of past few hours had taken it's toll and he tried to inhale deeply.

"Now what?" Mira asked.

"Yeah,what're we going to do now?" Marucho looked at the Pyrus brawler.

"I honestly don't know Marucho." Dan sighed, "I wish he could just..." He left the sentence incomplete.

"Give us a sign." Keith completed where Dan had left.

"It's too much..." Mira sobbed.

"I can't take it anymore." Dan stood, "I'm going."

No one asked him where he was going as they all knew it very clearly that where was the hot-headed brawler going.

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Dan sat beside his best friend. He took in his fragile appearance and looked at his pale but serene face. Placing a hand almost hesitantly on his friend's cold one,Dan's lips quivered.

"Shun..." That was all he could manage as he allowed water droplets to splash onto the lifeless cold hand which he clutched dearly.

"I hope you're feeling better now...without any more pain to suffer...you look so peaceful..." Dan continued even though he knew his best friend couldn't hear him.

"I miss you buddy." Dan told the unmoving teen as he brushed back his raven hair.

With a sigh,he lowered his head,letting his collar get soaked by the tears. It had been too much to handle.

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"How could you let him die?" Mira looked at Dan, "He didn't deserve it."

"Yeah Dan...we know you two didn't like each other but that's not a valid reason to not help him." Marucho pushed back his glasses.

"I tried..." Dan argued back.

"He lost the cure...it's his own fault." Keith added.

"But still...you should've helped him." Mira lifted her head, "That's what brawlers were supposed to do. Or so I thought."

"Mira...you've no idea what happened." Dan gazed at the orange haired girl.

"At least I'm trying to..." Mira was cut off by Keith.

"Stop it,everyone. Discussing it now isn't going to help us one bit." The Darkus brawler looked at the occupants of the room.

"Yeah guys,we need to stay focused." Marucho agreed.

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Dan looked outside the window,thinking back about the past events as he sat beside his best friend.

_**FLASHBACK...**_

_He was yelling as he fell all the way down the cliff end...straight into the lava. Dan extended his hand,trying to grab his hand but failed as his velocity forced him to fall down and down...descending into the lava eventually._

_Horrified,Dan looked at the spot where he was present just a few moments before...laughing menacingly and saying something along the lines of that he didn't need any cure...that he had trapped the brawlers._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"It wasn't supposed to happen." Dan clenched his fists, "He wasn't supposed to end like that."

"Even after everything he did?" Drago opened on Dan's shoulder.

"Yeah. I know he put all of us through a hell but still..."

"But..."

"Listen...I know he was our enemy but he shouldn't have died like that..."

"But you tried to save him...didn't you?"

"I...I did...but at that moment,Shun was more important to me." Dan lowered his gaze, "Wiseman should have lived."

Drago sighed.

_**FLASHBACK...**_

_Dan shook the unconscious teen hard as he realized that his best friend wasn't breathing at all. He looked so peaceful...lying in his friend's arms,having nothing to worry about now..._

"_No...don't give up Shun..." Keith panicked._

"_DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME..." Dan shook him roughly again. _

_But when nothing happened,Keith snapped into action, "Dan...to the building." _

_Dan blindly followed his instruction as both of them brought Shun to the medical area inside the building. Once settled there,quickly helping him on the bed,Keith pulled out the IV drip. Filling it with the cure,he inserted it swiftly in the sick teen's wrist vein. They had managed to find his weak pulse...which meant that he could still come back._

_Nothing happened..._

_They waited...waited...and still...they waited._

_Time ticked by slowly...no such luck..._

"_Shun..." Dan's eyes widened,unshed tears shimmering in them, "Please...don't do this to me buddy..."_

_Dan's pleading bounced off Keith's ears as he frantically searched around for something...anything that could bring the teen back to life. _

_The Ventus brawler was like a leaf dancing in a flame...or like the song of a dieing swan..._

_Dan stood up as he caught sight of something beside the bed. It was adrenaline, one of the equipment, Keith was rummaging through to see if anything could help. In a desperate attempt,Dan picked it up and without thinking,plunged it straight into his best friend's heart. Keith turned around but before he could do something,the vessel had been emptied in the boy's system, "Dan...it was..."_

"_Shun..." Dan's eyes were filled with...anger...remorse...sadness...pain...emotions whirling within their depths, "Come back or I'll have to die too...and frankly speaking...I don't want to die yet..." _

_Keith smiled sadly. Dan and his mood swings...his thoughts flipped back to the prone form on the bed as he heard a slight cough. The sudden boost of adrenaline had miraculously forced the teen's heart to beat again. _

_With wide eyes, Keith stabilized his heart beat and fixed his breathing by using the mask. After a few moments,glazed and unfocused topaz eyes opened slowly,blinking heavily in process. Dan bent over him,his mouth opened in surprise, "Well,I honestly didn't expect you to take my words so seriously buddy."_

_Shun blinked again. His eyes closing against his will. He tried to open them but then relaxed beneath the blanket as he felt himself floating on the clouds,riding the wind._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

When Dan and Keith had told everyone about it,they all had reacted...if somewhat differently...too shocked to say anything,the brawlers waited for the Ventus brawler to wake up again.

And now Dan was sitting beside his best friend. His fever had broke. He was breathing normally and looked less paler. With a sigh of relief,Dan leaned forward and without realizing what he was doing,he allowed sleep to take over him.

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Opening his eyes,he looked up blankly. Where was he? What had happened? He didn't feel sick now but he felt a slight pain in his chest. Confused as to why was breathing a hard task for him,he settled his bleary eyes on a figure present on his chest. Red...but it wasn't blood...it was something red...his tired mind registered so he moved a bit. When nothing happened,he moved again,this time,a bit harder but still no luck.

The burning pain made him gasp and he coughed,trying to control his respiration. The red figure gaped and woke with a start.

"Oh Shun...sorry buddy...you okay?" Dan sat upright. He had actually slept in an awkward position,head and arms resting on his best friend's chest while he himself sat on the chair.

He received a nod in response and blinked, "Hey...you're awake!"

"No...really?" Shun raised an eyebrow.

"How're you feeling?" Dan composed himself.

"Fine. What happened?" Shun looked up.

"Well..." Dan took a deep breath before briefing the Ventus brawler of the recent events.

"So...I lived and Wiseman died." Shun muttered.

"Yup...you did. And I missed you buddy." Dan's face became serious. He could always talk to his best friend comfortably.

Shun blinked at the sudden change, "Dan..."

"I was so scared buddy. I thought I lost you. I thought I'd never see you again and I...I cried too." Dan admitted,his voice becoming low.

"I..." Before he could say anything,Shun was surrounded by an embrace as Dan hugged him tight,afraid to let go.

Being back to normal,Shun felt a huge burden lift off his shoulders. Every thing was just as before now and looking outside the window,the ventus brawler caught glimpse of colors of the wind. He had stayed strong...he had faced his test bravely...he hadn't given up...he hadn't scummed to the darkness...he had struggled to live...and most of all...He had fought his destined fate.

_**Okay...the end! I'm not pleased with this chapter but I had to post it up. It's really hard to control the flow of two stories at a time. If any of you is interested in my new beyblade fic,go on and keep reading coz it's the end of story,not the end of me! ^^**_

_**Rose out! :)**_


End file.
